A Few Thoughtless Jokes
by FreshPress
Summary: This is the story of how what started off as a few thoughtless, lighthearted jokes turned into nightmare of reality for seven unsuspecting teenagers. This is the true and faithful testament of how me and my closest friends ended up saving the world.
1. Prologue

_"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

_To storm or fire the world must fall,_

_An oath to keep with final breath,  
_

___And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."_

My name is Jackie Yang.

Three months ago, my friends and I were just your average, obnoxious, dunderheaded teenagers. If anyone had told us back _then_ that we'd end up battling mythical monsters and chatting it up with ancient gods, we would've chucked them into the nearest loony bin.

A lot can change in three months.

This is the story of how what started off as a few thoughtless, lighthearted jokes turned into nightmare of reality.

This is the true and faithful testament of how me and my closest friends ended up saving the world.


	2. The Names

_"What's in a name?"_

___-William Shakespeare_

It all started out on that fateful, overcast, Tuesday morning. At first, everything seemed to be going along just as usual at Delphi Institution of Special Schooling. We had a lockdown during homeroom because one kid was running around the halls in his birthday suit, and then we had to evacuate the school for half an hour during third period because Zara Jones had set fire to the trash can in the girl's bathroom.

Like I said, everything was going along just as usual.

I should explain. You see, when I say "_Delphi Institution of Special Schooling_" . . . .what I really mean is "_Delphi Imprisonment for Stupid Students_". It happens that all of the students at DISS have some sort "educational disadvantage" - aka we've got grades low enough to make Paris Hilton cry. Some of the students here just need intensive teaching because they struggle to understand concepts, but others have physical learning disabilities - such as impaired speech, autism, or, in my case, ADHD and dyslexia.

So in DISS, it's not just a bunch of mental kids running around, it's a bunch of _different sorts_ of mental kids running around. And that's enough to make the _teachers_ mental. I mean, imagine having a class where one student is completely disconnected from the world, the other can't stay in their seat, and then another who can't read the board unless they read it off a mirror. So to save the risk of teachers jumping off the DISS alarm tower, they split us up into different tracks, and they put kids with similar disabilities on the same track, so the teachers on that track only had to deal with one or two types of problems. Not that it makes it all better.

Track A is what we call the "smart track", because the only problem Track A kids have is a low IQ. My friends and I are on Track C, but that's only because all of us have dyslexia _as well_ as ADHD. Most of the other ADHD/ADD kids are on Track B. But I don't mind Track C. The 7th grade teachers are actually pretty cool. Well, not Mr. Argot, the Language Arts Teacher From Hell, but Ms. Ehlke, our history teacher, is the best.

Anyways - back to that fateful Tuesday.

Fourth period had just finished, and everyone was heading to lunch. Me, Kasey, and Jessica, who happened to be two of my besties, made our way towards our patio table to meet up with the rest of our friends.

Mackenzie arrived. I noticed jealously that her perfect golden curls weren't being affected at _all_ by the humidity.

"Hey." We greeted her as she opened up her lunchbox.

"Hey, y'all." Mackenzie looked up at the sky warily. "You sure you want to sit outside today? It looks like it's going to start pouring."

"Oh, it'll be fine, Macintosh." James - decked in all black, per usual - rolled his eyes and slid into a seat next to Tatiana.

"I don't know . . ." Mackenzie said, unsure. "I just don't want to be trapped outside in the rain."

"Oh, suck it up, Mackenzie." Lizzy said brusquely as she sat down.

"So -" Tatiana popped open her salad container. "Who would be stupid enough to give Zara a match?"

"Some fucking retard, I dunno." James dug into his spaghetti. "This is going to be the third time this month she's gone to the county jail."

"Why don't they just expel her?" Mackenzie sniffed.

"Where would she go?" I pointed out.

"True." Jessica agreed.

"She's getting really annoying." Kasey raised an eyebrow as she gulped down her water

"Yeah! She interrupted what was _supposed_ to be the beastliest history lesson ever!" Lizzy voiced loudly.

"Oh, did Ehlke start on Greek gods already?" James asked.

"Yup." Jess nodded. "Very interesting."

Tatiana gagged on her crouton. "And rather sick. Did you know that brothers and sisters would get together and have kids? That's incest!"

"Who _else_ did they have to screw?' James remarked.

"True." Jessica laughed.

"Ugh." Mackenzie shook her head. "Greek mythology's so weird."

"_But_ cool at the same time." I sipped my lemonade.

"What are we learning today? Just the basic Gods and stuff?" James asked.

"Yeah, an overview, and then she has us read the legend of Perseus and Andromeda." Everyone else groaned. Whenever we heard the word "read", it was like a death summons.

"Don't worry." Kasey reassured. "She's playing the CD narration."

"Oh, thank God - or should I say, thank the Gods." Mackenzie sighed in relief.

"Wait, wasn't Perseus that bloke who killed the snake headed lady?" James asked as thunder rumbled across the sky. Tatiana and Mackenzie looked up nervously.

"Yeah. He was the son of Zeus - a demigod." Jess answered.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if _we_ were secretly demigods?" Lizzy said jokingly. Lightning flashed somewhere in the distance, but it was far away.

"Cor, I'd be like Sam Worthington in _Clash of the Titans_!" James said, flipping his brown hair arrogantly.

"You . . . .work on that." Kasey said doubtfully.

"Oh, James would totally be Hades' son." Tatiana eyed James' dark attire.

"True." James nodded. A low thunder could be heard from up above. "Hades seems British enough."

"Death Head." Lizzy smirked. "What about me?"

"Ares. 100%." Kasey said bluntly.

"Well, I am the hothead. A _very_ hot head, if I may add." Lizzy said cockily. The rest of us shared a glance and rolled our eyes.

Kasey continued. "I think I'd be Poseidon's daughter, don't you think?" It started sprinkling lightly.

We all nodded. Kasey had been on the DISS swim team for the past three years and was crowned captain this year.

"Alright, Fish Face, what'd I be?" I asked her.

"Encyclopedia, isn't it obvious? _Asian_ and _Athena_ both start with the same letter." Tatiana cut in before Kasey could answer.

"Tots, you're Apollo." James said.

"Mhmm. And what about me?" Mackenzie asked, twirling her hair around.

"Stupid cupid," I said snarkily. "Isn't it obvious?" I smirked, referring to Mackenzie's uncanny ability to build up an entourage of male stalkers.

"Hey, let's not forget about Jess." James reminded.

Kasey surveyed her. "Hmm - Artemis?"

"Maybe . . . ." I said, looking closely at Jessica's grey-blue eyes. "But isn't Artemis a virgin goddess?"

"I got it." I said, snapping my fingers. "Zeus."

Suddenly a flash of bright lightning struck from nowhere and lit up the sky, and a huge CRACK of thunder followed shortly behind.

"Holy shit!" James popped up from his seat. "I'm outta here!"

"Same!" Mackenzie said, and both of them darted inside the cafeteria, and the rest of us quickly followed suit.

"The gods are angry." Jessica giggled as we walked inside - right before it started pouring buckets.

Suddenly, there was a _POP_ and _all _the lights went out in the cafeteria, leaving it completely dark, besides the grayish light spilling in from the windows and the flash of furious lightning.

Picture this: a hundred or so mentally disabled kids - all gathered together in one area - in the middle of a freaking _thunderstorm_ for Christ's sake, and _then_ they're put into sudden darkness.

Not a pretty picture. At all.

It was pure chaos. Screams broke out everywhere. Kids were running around, trampling each other trying to find a way out. The teachers tried to restore order, but it was like trying to harness an unbroken horse on caffeine.

"It's all your fault." A voice said from behind me and Jess.

We whipped around to see little Victoria Eschenbrenner standing behind us. What a creeper. She arrived at DISS at the beginning of the year, and she had never made any friends. No wonder. She had a bad habit of lying, pocketing people's stuff, oh, and stalking me and my friends. And she always wore this really unstylish necklace made out of painted clay beads.

"I'm sorry?" Jessica demanded.

"Names are powerful things." Tori said in a whispery voice, touching her necklace, then with one last wide-eyed glance at us, she disappeared into the crowd.

"Weirdo." I remarked. But we didn't pay much attention to the incident, because weird kids came up to us and said nonsense all the time.

Maybe we should've paid a little more heed to Tori's advice.


	3. The Mysteries

_"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."_

_-Oscar Wilde_

The wind and rain rattled the cafeteria windows, and the palm trees outside bowed down to the gusts. Every time the cafeteria was lit up by a flash of lightning, a new wave of panic broke out. I felt really sorry for the teachers. But I felt even sorrier for _us_. I mean, we'd be trapped in here, in the dark, with our beloved fellow students (note the sarcasm) for who knows how long?

We found a table and sat down to wait until the rain let up. James leaned back in his chair, looked around to make sure all the teachers were distracted, then slipped out a Marlboro from his pocket and lit it with his Zippo.

"The weather's so weird this year." Jessica noted. "It's kinda early for hurricane season, don't you think?"

Kasey shrugged. "I just can't wait until we can get out of here."

"Ugh." Mackenzie squirmed in her seat. "I hate staying in one place for too long."

Kasey rolled her eyes. "Oh gee, I wonder what _ADHD_ is supposed to mean?"

Tatiana looked up and huffed. "I'm so bored. We're supposed to be in fifth period now."

Lizzy smirked. "Hah. You're missing out on Ehlke's lesson."

I coughed as James exhaled again. "Oh, Burns, that _stinks_!" I said, my eyes tearing.

"Your problem."

"Oh my god, Jackie's right, it smells _awful_." Jessica said, covering her nose. "What is it with you Brits and cigars?"

James gave her an assessing look, then ground his cigarette on the table surface, leaving a black burn mark. "Fine. Have it your way."

"Thank the gods." Jessica mumbled.

Another flash of lightning followed by thunder. Another outburst of hysteric screaming.

"I swear, if those bints open their mouths _one_ more time, I'ma shoot someone." Lizzy said threateningly, fingering the inside of her jacket.

"_Lizzy_!" I hissed, looking around and lowering my voice. "You did not -" My eyes narrowed. "Not again."

Lizzy showed the tip of a glossy, black, handgun from under her jacket. "M1911, .45 caliber. _With_ a silencer."

"How in the _world_ did you get that past security check?" Okay, yes, DISS is probably the one school in a million that has security scans at the entrance.

"I have my ways." Lizzy winked.

I stared at the handgun with a mix of admiration and uncertainty. "Wonderful build. How's the grip?"

"It was made to fit."

"Hey, Lizz, be careful, alright? Don't want you getting sent to jail again. Three strikes and you're _out_."

"Stop worrying, Sike. I'll be fine." Lizzy said surely.

"Hey -" James furrowed his eyebrow. "Where's Eschenbrenner heading off to?"

We all turned to look in the direction James was pointing towards, just in time to see Tori slipping out the back door of the cafeteria.

"Is she crazy?" I stood up. "It's raining cats and dogs out there! I mean, she could get a fever - or pneumonia - or, or - she could get struck by lightning for god's sake!"

"Where're you going?" Kasey asked.

"I'm going to tell her to get her little ass back in here!" I said, beelining towards the back door before anyone could stop me.

It was hard to make my way through the crowds in the dark, but I eventually snaked my way through. I pulled the back door open hesitantly, opening it just a crack so I could see Tori. My eyes landed on the strangest sight.

There she was, stuck in the middle of the back parking lot in a tempest. But the funny thing was . . .and maybe it was just because my eyes were weird . . . .but it almost seemed like Tori was completely dry. I know, crazy, right? Standing in the middle of the pouring rain, who wouldn't get soaked to the bone?

Then it just got weirder. Tori dug into her pocket for something, then I saw something shiny and gold fly into the air. I saw Tori's mouth move, as if she was saying something. And _then_ - well, you're _never_, in a million years, going to believe what happened next.

A freaking _picture_ appeared! In midair! It was like a flat screen television had just been conjured from thin air!

I rubbed my eyes furiously, but the illusion _just wouldn't go away_. It stubbornly stayed there, taunting me. _Jackie dearest, you're going crazy! You need to be put into a mental hospital, and locked up and never allowed in public again. You're seeing things!_

Amidst all my vigorous blinking and eye-rubbing, a man appeared on the TV-thingy. He seemed middle-aged, with gray-streaked brown hair and a longish beard. He seemed to be speaking to Tori. From where I saw standing, he looked tired, worn out and frustrated. I wondered who he was.

But wait! This was all in my imagination. Right? So the man wasn't real. And I shouldn't be wondering anything about something that isn't real. Correct?

"Uhm, Jackie? You look really retarded just standing here at the door with your head in the rain." Kasey's voice came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see that Tatiana, Jessica, Mackenzie, James, and Lizzy had all followed.

"Guys . . . ." I said, turning to them tentatively. "Look out there and tell me you're not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

Lizzy shoved past me and looked out the door, then took a step back in shock. "What. The. Fuck."

James was trying to push Lizzy out of the way, but in his eagerness to see what was going on, he accidentally pushed me and her out the _door_, straight into the downpour. James tripped, and when he tried to grab onto Jessica for balance, he ended up pulling both himself and Jess outside. When Jessica was dragged out, she knocked into Tatiana, who tried grabbing the door handle to keep from falling, but her weight made the door start closing, and as the door started closing it swept Mackenzie and Kasey outside as well.

Long story short, all seven of us ended up in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, just a short twenty feet away from what seemed to be a miracle of science.

We all shrieked as we got soaked, too preoccupied with the freezing cold rain to see anything else. But of course, _eventually _the others noticed Tori and the strange floating image, and they let out a series of gasps.

Tori whipped around at the commotion we were making, muttered a few words to the man on the screen, and then the floating image disappeared. Then she turned to us.

We all just stood there for what seemed like an hour, staring at her, and she stared back.

It was James who broke the silence. "What the hell was that?" He yelled over the pouring rain.

Tori turned away and started walking into the distance. "Follow me!" She yelled.

We looked at each other quizzically.

"Should we follow?" Tati whispered.

"_No!_ Eschenbrenner's crazy!" Mackenzie protested.

"Hey, I'm armed." Lizzy shrugged.

"What the fuck, let's go. What's the worst a small mental kid can do to us?" James pointed out.

"I dunno . . .we should be getting back inside. I mean, who knows where she's going to take us? We still have school . . ."I said hesitantly.

"Okay, we're going." Kasey said decisively, and she splashed her way across the parking lot. The rain started to lighten up a bit.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, fine. What the hell, if we end up getting axe-murdered underground and our pieces get thrown into a safe, nobody's going to throw the blame on me." We sloshed after Kasey and Tori.

By the time we ended up where we were, the sun had come out and the rain had ceased to a light drizzle. The dark clouds were nowhere to be seen.

To tell you the truth, I had no idea as to why we were there. I mean, Atlanta's Café wasn't exactly a special place. Just a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a run-down strip mall. Maybe Tori wanted to treat us to some afternoon tea? But that wasn't the case, because Atlanta's had a bold red "CLOSED" sign on its door.

When we all caught up to Tori, before anyone else got a chance to say anything, Lizzy pinned Tori to a wall and whipped out her handgun, jabbing it under Tori's neck.

"Lizzy!" I yelled in shock, about to pull her back, but she knocked me away and without looking at me.

"Alright, Eschenbrenner, what's your deal, huh? What kind of black magic have you been performing at our school?"

A small smirk spread onto Tori's face. "Corleone, get your little plaything away from me. You can't hurt me."

"You wanna bet?" Lizzy said with an edge in her voice. She tried poking the gun into Tori's ribs, then a puzzled expression spread across her face. She tried again, and this time we all saw it: the gun's muzzle refused to go within an inch of Tori's body. It was as if there was some sort of invisible shield or wall between Lizzy's gun and Tori.

"What the hell is going on?" Lizzy said, panic and confusion rising in her voice.

Tori rolled her eyes and shook Lizzy off. "If you had given me a chance to explain -"

She was suddenly cut off by a chorus of shrieks from us. The floating-image thing appeared again, and the same man was on the screen. He spoke in a deep but soft voice, with a hint of a British accent. He sounded quite panicked.

"Victoria!" He called.

"Chiron? What's wrong?' Tori asked.

"Well - you know the issues we talked about earlier?" The man said, rushed. "Well, it seems that those "issues" are closer than we thought! Much, _much_ closer than we thought."

I observed the screen while they were conversing. Seeing it up close, I realized that the screen wasn't conjured out of thin air - it was conjured out of thin _mist_.

"Like, how close?"

"You will find out yourself in about thirty seconds."

I could hear the sound of distant vultures cawing.

"_WHAT?! _Chiron!" Tori yelled.

"Listen, Victoria, you've got to get those seven _here_ as soon as possible! Keep them in one piece, please! I prefer my students _alive_."

Jess, James, Kasey, Lizzy, Tati, Mackenzie, and I looked at each other in confusion. What was going on?

"Chiron, the portal is _locked_."

"Remember who your father is, Victoria." The man winked.

Then it happened. Everything occurred so fast - I'm not sure which came first. All I knew was there was a sound of massive wings flapping, a huge _thing_ descended from the sky, and shiny golden claw ripped through the mist-image, disintegrating it. Then the creature shot back up into the sky.

I couldn't help it. I screamed. So did everyone else, even Lizzy and James. Tori, however, just said something in another language that I couldn't decipher (but I could tell she was swearing) and jiggled the locked doorknob of Atlanta's urgently.

There were more of them. Circling above our heads. At first, they looked like some sort of mammoth bird species, but I wasn't quite sure because I was staring into the sun.

And then they dived. I trusted my first instinct - I ran and ducked for cover behind a metal trash can. Everyone else scattered as the massive monsters landed on the ground. I blinked. I couldn't believe it - but as I saw them up close, I realized the creatures that I had mistaken for _birds_ turned out to have hindquarters similar to a lion.

There was only one word for a beast like this. I recalled the past unit of Medieval History. _Gargoyle_.

A flock of gargoyles. Sitting around in the middle of backwoods Tampa Bay, Florida. I didn't know whether I should laugh or scream.

They were here for blood. Their eagle-beaks let out ear-splitting shrieks, and they darted for us. One flapped towards me, and I yelled as it nipped my shoulder painfully, cornering me into the wall. _Holy Moses._ Without thinking, I whipped the trash can lid off and smashed it into the gargoyle's head. It didn't do much damage, but it _did_ daze the animal for a few seconds, buying me precious time. I slipped away from the wall, then, as I saw the gargoyle coming to once again, I quickly ripped of a rusted piece of water-pipe off of the wall and used it to hit the gargoyle in the back of the neck, as hard as possible. I was extremely surprised and please with myself as the gargoyle crumpled before me. Huh. I never knew I could move that fast _or_ hit that hard.

But there was no time to admire my handiwork. The others were struggling against the gargoyles too. I saw one chewing away at Mackenzie's hair, and James' ear bleeding badly. If only DISS had allowed him to carry his Swiss pocketknife.

Kasey and Jessica were trying to ward off another gigantic gargoyle, and Tatiana tried stabbing one in the eye with her pencil, only to receive several deep cuts on her hand. Those beaks were sharp. Lizzy had been pinned to the ground by a gargoyle, its claws cutting deeply into her stomach. I could see red dots blooming on her white shirt, widening as she struggled.

Tori was still messing around with the door, jiggling a hairpin into the keyhole. Two gargoyles were trying to attack her as well, but they couldn't touch her, just like Lizzy's gun.

_Lizzy's gun!_

I dived under the gargoyle that was imprisoning Lizzy, and managed to slip the gun out of her jacket before the gargoyle trapped me with its other claw. Luckily, I was armed and dangerous. Lizzy was right about one thing; this one gripped like an angel. I cocked the gun, pointed it, and shot a bullet straight into the gargoyle's belly. I heard a croak from the creature, then the monster disintegrated into the air.

"What happened to it?" Lizzy asked, breathless with pain. She was clutching her side, which was stained badly.

"I have no idea. All I know right now is you're about to bleed your insides out." I said.

"Jackie!" Tori yelled. She pulled a blue pencil out of her pocket and threw it at me. "Run this over her stomach!"

The two gargoyles that were trapping Tori made an attempt at the pencil, luckily, they missed, and I caught it. I gasped in shock as I realized that, somewhere, in its journey from Tori's hand to mine, the pencil had grown into a three foot long rod with a winged head and two snake figures winding up the side. It was the symbol on the Blue Shield; a caduceus.

Mackenzie screamed. Lizzy and I looked over to see that she was slowly getting dragged into the air by her hair. Ouch.

"Here, gimme that." Lizzy snatched the gun out of my hand, cocked it again, aimed, and shot the gargoyle's wing, throwing the monster off balance and disabling its flight. Once Mackenzie was on the ground again, Lizzy shot another bullet into the heart of the creature, and this one disappeared just like the last one.

As I slowly touched the caduceus to Lizzy's wounds, Lizzy shot five or six other well-aimed bullets at the other monsters, and pretty soon, all our friends were free. I watched in amazement as the red stains on Lizzy's shirt disappeared at the touch of the caduceus.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Lizzy remarked, sitting up. "In fact, I feel _great_."

"Holy mother _fucker_!" James shouted, clutching his ear. "What the goddamn hell - THOSE WERE FUCKIN' GARGOYLES!"

"Oh, no shit." Kasey said shakily. I could tell she was scared, because she only cussed under stress. Otherwise, she seemed relatively unwounded.

"What the _hell_ are _gargoyles_ doing in the middle of Florida?" Burns yelled, a bit hysterical.

"I think Eschenbrenner's got some explaining to do." Lizzy growled.

"Yeah, really." Jessica had a nasty scratch on her face. It was starting to turn green.

"Hey, Bolten . . ." James said. "You've got a . . .a, um. " He gestured vaguely to her cheek.

"Yeah, I know." Jess said grimly.

I looked over at Mackenzie, who was shedding quiet tears. I couldn't imagine how much her head hurt right now. Tatiana stood off to the side, holding her hand.

"Why don't we save explanations for later? As for now, I think everyone might want to get rid of their battle scars. And it just so happens," I said, twirling around the blue caduceus, "That this thing works like a charm. So, who's up first? Tatiana?" I turned to her.

"Actually . . ." A strange look passed over Tati's face. "I don't think I need it."

"What're you talking about? You have, like, five scars on your hand!"

She slowly removed her other hand to show me the wounded hand. But the problem was - it wasn't wounded anymore. Not a single mark could be seen on her skin.

"Holy . . ." I whispered.

"Oh my god." James breathed.

"I know, it's really weird. All I know is that I was holding my hand in my other one, and suddenly I got this odd tickling sensation on my skin," Tatiana said hurriedly, "and I looked down, and I literally _saw_ my skin regenerating. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life. Well, you know, besides the whole gargoyle thing."

Tori smirked as she walked towards us. "Try healing James' ear."

"What?!" Jessica blurted.

"Er, I'm not sure I can do that." Tatiana said skeptically.

"Try it." Tori insisted.

"How?"

"How'd you heal your hand?"

"With my hand . . .?" Tatiana said, unsure.

"Try it."

"Oh, why bother, just use the rod thing!" Jessica said, a bit annoyed.

"I want her to try healing other people." Tori said firmly.

"She can try it on me! Or Mackenzie!" Jessica insisted, but she was ignored.

"Okay . . .here goes nothing." Tatiana reached out and gingerly ran her finger over James earlobe.

My eyes widened as the blood slowly siphoned off and James wounds closed up. After Tatiana was done, his ear was as good as new.

"That's _sick_." Lizzy complimented.

Jessica muttered something darkly about "showoffs".

Soon Mackenzie's scalp was back to its regular state, and I was just about to finish up Jessica's scar with the caduceus when Tori darted back to the door of Atlanta's Café and went back to frantically trying to pick the lock.

"What's wrong?' Jess called out.

"There're more." Tori stated, just as several rather large shadows fell over us. We stood up warily and closed in on the door to the café.

Lizzy cocked her gun and tried to take aim up into the sky, but I grabbed her wrist.

"If the bullets fall back to the ground, we're in big trouble." I reminded her.

"Hey, Tori, how's the progress on the door?' Kasey asked. "Because, you know, the gargoyle things are kind of about to dive-bomb us about _now_."

Just as the monsters got close enough to brush us with the tips of their wings, the door gave way and all eight of us tumbled into the dusty, unlit café. Lizzy slammed the door shut and threw the bolt back in, then swore as a gargoyle talon pierced through the wood.

I took a quick scan around. This place looked like it hadn't seen customers - or any kind of life - in years. There were cobwebs and dust bunnies all over the white tablecloths and the walls covered with Greek landscape murals.

I heard a furious rattling of glass behind me, and I whipped around to see six ugly eagle heads rapping away at the windows. I heard a nasty _crack_ and glass showered all over the floor as one of the windows broke. I backed away from the windows as one of the gargoyles tried squeezing himself inside.

"This way!" Tori yelled, leading us towards a doorway that led to a back room. She swept aside the red cloth curtain, hurrying us inside as one of the gargoyles managed to enter the café.

Inside the back room, there was nothing. It was completely empty, except for a huge mural spanning the back wall. It was different from the rest; it did not depict Crete or the Aegean Sea or the Parthenon; instead, it depicted a large area of grassy hills, strawberry patches, and woods, dotted with small people, buildings, and other structures. I could see a large white house perched on the tallest hill, right next to an impressive pine tree, and a cluster of buildings in the middle of the mural with interesting-looking houses. The blue ocean could be seen in the distance.

Before I could figure out that the figures in the picture seemed to be _moving_, an unpleasant screech was brought to my ears. Ugh. The gargoyles were in the house.

"Jackie, hand me the caduceus!" Tori yelled. I tossed it to her just as a golden beak poked its way behind the red curtain. She drove the blue rod through its neck and the gargoyle dissolved in the air.

"Jessica, go!" Tori shoved Jess towards the back wall.

"What?" Jess said, bemused. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"You've got to go into the picture!" Tori said urgently. "Go!"

"What is this, Blue's Clues?" Kasey yelled.

"YES. Just like Blue's Clues!" Tori said, rapping another gargoyle on the head. "Somebody go! Just put your face to the picture and _imagine_ that you're there!"

"Alright then . . ." Jessica said uncertainly, moving towards the back wall until her nose was touching it. Then she took a deep breath, and - she _sank _into the wall.

"Holy shit, its Jessica!" James yelped.

"What? Where?" I said, moving closer to the picture.

James pointed at a vague figure that was standing in the middle of a strawberry patch. The black-and-green Wicked t-shirt was unmistakable amidst the bright, orange-clad figures.

"Oh my gods." I breathed.

"Hey, uh, guys, how about we admire later? I'm kind of - OW!" Tori got overhauled by three gargoyles who bombarded the doorway. I quickly picked up the caduceus she dropped and tried to fight them off, but there were too many. Lizzy couldn't get a clear shot of them without risking me and Tori's heads.

"I'm outta here!" Mackenzie leaped into the mural, and Tatiana and Kasey quickly followed suit.

I felt the talons of a gargoyle tighten around my shoulder, and I quickly made a slice at its claws. Once its grip slackened, Tori and I backed away from them so Lizzy could aim. After three reports, only one gargoyle was left in the room.

"Lizzy, shoot it!" I said as me and Tori hit the floor to duck one of the gargoyle's swipes.

Lizzy pulled the trigger again. And again. And again.

"I ran out of - AH!" The gargoyle slashed a deep cut into Lizzy's shoulder, and Lizzy crumpled over in pain, dropping her gun. Shoot, that girl was just getting killed today.

I tried stabbing the remaining gargoyle with the caduceus, but every time I made a jab, the gargoyle flew to high for me to reach.

"Oh great fuck -" James swore as the gargoyle got ready to slam him into the wall. He instinctively reached out his arm to try to block off the attack, but when his hand touched the gargoyle, a very strange thing happened. The gargoyle wheezed, then his muscles and feathers started withering away until there was nothing left but a skeleton. James removed his hand in shock, and the pile of bones fell to the floor with a clatter, then disintegrated.

"Business as usual. Let's go, you all." Tori said.

I waved the caduceus over Lizzy's shoulder, then she leapt into the picture, landing somewhere near the big white house on top of the hill.

I turned to Tori. "You seem to know about this . . . place." I gestured towards the picture.

"Camp." Tori corrected.

"Right, camp. Where should I aim for?"

"The white house."

"Alright then." I eyed James and Tori. "See you two at the white house."

I pressed my forehead to the cool wall, next to where the white house was painted. I could practically hear the waves roaring in the distance, and the smell of salt and strawberries wafted into my nose. I could even almost hear the sounds and the voices of the camp-goers and feel the green grass -

Oh, I was standing on the green grass.

I looked around. I was currently standing on the side of a hill. I could see the white, colonial-style house up above. I shaded my eyes to get a better look at the place.

"New?"

I turned around to see a blonde girl that looked like she could be Mackenzie's older sister. Well, a rougher, smarter, more-tomboyish older sister.

"Uh - I actually have no idea." I laughed.

"Uh-huh. That's what the new arrivals all say." She said, smiling kindly.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Tori tumbled in out of nowhere.

"Wings! Hey, wassup?" The blonde girl asked.

"Hey Annabeth. Nothing much." She gestured towards me. "As you see, I've got some new arrivals in -"

Another flash of light. James tumbled out, his back to us, and scanned the place disdainfully.

"_Hell_, what sort of shitty fuckfist place is this?" He said in his obnoxious, blockheaded way.

"This _place_ happens to be Camp Half-Blood." Annabeth said coolly. What a strange name.

James turned around and noticed Annabeth for the first time. His expression changed as he surveyed her appraisingly, and I felt like rolling my eyes. _Dude. She's like five years older than you. AND she's too good for a sleaze like you._

"Well," James said, eyeing her legs. "If it has _you_ in it, it can't be half bad."

"I'm sorry, what were you saying about my girlfriend?" A voice said. I jumped as the most beautiful guy I've ever seen in my _life_ materialized, out of nowhere, next to Annabeth, holding a Yankees cap in his hand.

"I - uh." James said, opening his mouth, then closing it. He clearly also noticed the biceps on this guy. Only he didn't seem to enjoy the sight of them as well as I did.

"So, what'd you say this place was called again?" I asked Annabeth, trying to take some of the heat off of James. I suddenly noticed that both Annabeth and the really cute guy had bead necklaces similar to Tori's.

Annabeth grinned and glanced at the guy who now had his arm around her shoulder. "Percy, care to do the honors?"

Percy shot me a blinding grin that knocked my center of gravity into the next hemisphere. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."


	4. The Discoveries

"_All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;  
the point is to discover them."_

_-Galileo Galilei_

Percy and Annabeth took us on a quick tour of the "camp", giving a brief explanation of each place we passed. As each minute passed, the more I was beginning to believe I was in a far-fetched but very detailed dream. Never in my life would I have imagined I would see satyrs shooting flaming arrows, or naiads bathing by the pier, or kids our age dueling it out in medieval-looking armor and swords. We had picked up Mackenzie, Jessica, Kasey, Lizzy, and Tatiana en route.

"Long story short, Greek myths are real." Percy concluded as we arrived back at the porch of the "Big House", as Annabeth called it.

"Wait . . . ." Jessica frowned, then voiced the same question that was on my mind.

"Wouldn't that mean the _gods_ are real?"

Percy and Annabeth shared a meaningful glance. "We were getting to that."

At that moment, the front door of the house creaked open and a centaur trotted out onto the porch. By now, I was pretty much immune to shock.

"Ah! Annabeth, Percy, how're you two doing today? And Victoria, you're here, finally." The centaur spoke to Tori. I recognized him as the same man that had appeared in the mist-message before.

He shot a warm smile at the seven of us. "I'm very glad to see you all here, safe and sound. You have certainly been through a lot this afternoon." He opened the door and gestured inside. "Why don't you all come in for a drink? It's getting hot out."

We filed inside and followed Percy to a spacious dining area. The centaur dude appeared again after we'd all sat down with a tray of lemonade and cookies at his hand, followed by a chubby-ish man with bloodshot eyes.

"Care for refreshments?" The centaur laid down the silver tray on the table.

"Not really. But I _could_ do with some sort of explanation." Lizzy said bluntly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, kids these days, so impolite." The chubby little man said, devouring a cookie.

"Di, they really do deserve one, considering what's happened to these kids today."The centaur muttered to the drunk-looking guy.

"You think?" Kasey scoffed."

"I can understand your impatience."

"Then can you just _answer_ our damn questions already?" James asked, and edge in his voice.

"Rudeness!" The fat man interjected.

The centaur ignored him and turned to us, folding his arms behind his head. "Alright then, what is it you want to know?"

And outburst followed.

"What's up with this camp?"

"Why are we here?"

"Why the hell did we get attacked by _gargoyles_?"

"Why is it called Camp Half-Blood?"

"Are the gods real?"

"Is this place supposed to be some sort of shitty theme park?"

"What's Eschenbrenner got to do with all of this?'

"Who are those kids in the orange shirts? Why are _they_ here?"

"Who are you?" I asked above everyone else. "And who is _he_?"

The centaur-man looked at me thoughtfully. "Me? Why, I'm just Chiron."

Chiron? "Like - Pluto's moon?" I said skeptically.

"Alas, no." The centaur shook his head. "That's _Charon_, with an A. The moon was named after another figure in Greek mythology. Charon was -"

"The guy that ferried dead souls to the Underworld, I know, I know." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Very good." Chiron said, impressed. "People get the two of us mixed up all the time."

"So you're Chiron the fucking centaur. Alright, that's one thing we've learned from this whole encounter. So who's that chubby douche over there?" James said, slipping a cigarette into his mouth.

"Watch it, kid." The fat man said threateningly. "I could hurt you in ways that you can't even imagine."

"Oh, I'm scared." James said with a roll of his eyes as he took out his lighter.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid." Annabeth reached over and plucked the cigarette right out of James mouth, who blinked in shock. "Not so fast." She crushed the cigarette into powder with her bare hands. "No way we're letting you pollute our air."

"Hey!" James said indignantly. "That was my last!"

"Good. Then we won't have to bother to keep any eye on you. What are you, like, twelve? I can't believe you're smoking already."

James opened his mouth to speak, but Jessica cut him off. "James, focus." She turned to Chiron and the fat man. "I apologize for his rudeness."

"Hmph." The fat guy snorted in furor. "He doesn't even know _who_ he's talking to. Who he's messing around with. I mean, if he hadn't been my relative . . . ." He was clearly trying to hold himself together.

"_Relative_?" James turned to the chubby guy in surprise. "I don't remember seeing you at Aunt Maudie's reunion! Who the hell _are_ you?" Oh, James, can't you see what a short fuse you're lighting?!

The man's face turned red with anger, and he stood up, banging his palms against the table. He clearly had had enough. "I'M A GOD, THAT'S WHO I AM. HOW _DARE_ YOU TALK IN THE PRESENCE OF A GOD IN THAT MANNER. YOU DESPICABLE, DISRESPECTFUL SCUM CHILD!"

James raised his eyebrows, then started cracking up. "Really? And which 'divine being' are you, then? Cupid?"

Out of nowhere, thick green vines shot out and wrapped around James' body tightly, completely binding him to his chair before he could say anything. The vines covered his mouth, and all we could hear was a bunch of muffled screams. His eyes widened with shock and fear. Percy, Annabeth, and Tori doubled over in laughter.

The fat man gave James a death stare. "I am Dionysus. The god of wine and ecstasy."

My jaw slacked. James' eyes were the size of saucers.

"At this moment, I have to power to take away your life - just with a wave of my hand." The vines tightened around James. I could see fear rise up into his eyes.

Dionysus sighed. "But, of course, I have to be noble and good and be forgiving." He said, and with a wave of his hand, the vines disappeared. James was speechless.

"So gods _are_ real then?" Jessica asked quietly.

"Well of _course _they're real! If they weren't, do you think I'd be sitting here in front of you right now?" Dionysus said in contempt.

"Well, I think it's about time I got back to answering the rest of your questions." Chiron said, polishing off a cookie. "So, yes, the Greek gods are real; no, Camp Half-Blood is _not _a theme park, it was actually built as a sanctuary; and the kids in the orange shirts that you see are our summer campers. Tori happens to be one of our campers."

"I wonder how much they have to pay to get into this place." Tatiana murmured.

"They don't have to pay anything. But we do have other sorts of special requirements to be able to get into Camp-Half Blood, and people without such requirements have no way of even _knowing_ about this camp. Obviously, we like to keep our living Greek myths a secret. The camp has magical boundaries for security. To outsiders, this plot of land is simply known as Delphi Strawberry Company."

"Wait -" Lizzy said suspiciously. "You guys wouldn't happen to be affiliated with DISS, would you?"

"If you are referring to that mundane school that all eight of you go to, then the answer is no." Chiron chuckled.

"_Why _is it called Camp Half-Blood?" I asked the question that had been nagging me in the back of my head all afternoon.

"Ah." Chiron took a deep swig of lemonade.

Percy smirked. "Here comes the shell-shocker."

"As you know by now, the Greek gods are, in fact, very real beings, and the Greek myths, also all very true. Perhaps you've heard of one of them, you know, the legend of Perseus?"

"Yeah, we're learning about that in class right now." Jessica nodded.

"Perseus was the son of Zeus and a Greek princess named Danae. This made him half-mortal, half-god; a demigod, if you may. Like I said before, Camp Half-Blood serves the purpose of a sanctuary - it is a haven for the modern-day demigods, or half-bloods." Chiron explained.

"Oh -!" Tatiana gasped. "The gods still have kids? That means" She gestured out the window "- that means all those kids out there are the children of Greek _gods_!"

Tori pretended to be affronted. "Oh, whatever, just forget about me and Percy and Annabeth, you know."

"Gosh, that's right, Tori - you're a _demigod_!" Mackenzie said in amazement.

"Well, yeah . . . ." Tori shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mackenzie demanded.

"Uh, would you have _believed_ her?" Kasey pointed out.

"Okay, Chiron or Charon or whatever the hell your name is, I'm still extremely confused. Can somebody please kindly explain why we've had a demigod stalking us all year, why we've been bombarded by Greek monsters, and most of all, _what we're going at a demigod camp_." Lizzy said, sounding extremely frustrated.

Chiron, Annabeth, Percy, Tori, and even Dionysus shared a chuckle. Chiron smiled at the seven of us, a twinkle in his eye.

"Haven't you figured it out already? You seven have been brought here - because you are _also_ children of the gods."


	5. The Acceptance

Before we return to our story, I'd like to take the time to thank all of my incredibly supportive readers and reviewers who waste time out of their day to read this silly little piece of fiction. Here are a few people I am incredibly grateful to:  
_CherubGurl96_  
_Love is the key to the world_  
_Jake the Drake_  
_volleyballbabe51_  
_ThaliaGrace17  
_

I'd also like to thank my friend Serpentinia Malfoy for reading this, and of course, my dearest Daddy-O, who's time is worth much more than mine, yet he wastes it to read this ridiculously shallow fanfiction.

And last but certainly not least, I'd like to thank my lovely characters for being who they are. Oh, and I like it when you guys read and review as well. **Death Head, Static, Fish Face, Stupid Cupid, Sunkist, Hothead**, and **Wings**, you know who you are. ;)

Now, back to our feature presentation.

* * *

_"You seven have been brought here - because you are __**also **__children of the gods"_

_-That crazy horse dude._

Silence. Pure, distilled silence.

Followed by a startling sound that sounded like a dying asthmatic.

James clutched his stomach, shaking with hysterical laughter. His brown eyes went glassy.

The next thing I knew, I was breathless with uncontrollable giggles. I glanced over at Mackenzie, who was attempting to try to hide her snickers behind her hand, but gave up and burst into peals of laughter.

Kasey pressed her lips tight, trying not to give into the hilarity of the situation. Then a funny noise came from her throat, and soon enough, she was doubled over, just like the rest of us. Tatiana had tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

Percy, Annabeth, and Tori looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and sighed.

I couldn't _begin_ to wrap my head around just how _ridiculous_ Chiron's theory was. Children of gods? _Us_? More like children of _goats_. We certainly had the brains.

"You don't believe me." Chiron said kindly, shaking his head and smiling. For some reason, I _hated_ how he was smiling at us. It was that smile that was a mixture of pity and condescension. My blood boiled with a sudden surge of anger.

That smile reminded me of how all the other adults in my life - the teachers, the social workers, the doctors - would look at me. _Poor thing, you wouldn't understand. You're too young; you're too stupid to understand. I know I'm right and I know you're wrong, but I won't bother to explain why because, surely, you wouldn't be able to understand. Leave this for us to handle. _I've gotten smiles like that all my life. And I was damn tired of them.

I got so _frustrated_ when people underestimated me. I wanted to yell at them - _Even if I won't understand, I still want to hear it! Don't treat me as if I'm not worth wasting your time talking to! This is __**my**__ life you're messing with here!_

I stopped laughing. The smile wiped off my face and my gaze hardened. "Of course we don't believe you!" I snapped at Chiron. The rest of the laughter died off.

"Yeah, we've believed all this Greek _bull_ you've crammed down our throats so far, but _this_? Me - us, children of _gods_?" I snorted. "You're clearly deranged or delusional." I said bitterly. "How could you even expect us to believe you? Don't you see the sheer _impossibility_ of what you've told us?"

Chiron sighed tiredly. "I expected as much." He took a sip out of his lemonade glass. "Most demigods react in shock when they're first informed about their heritage."

"WE'RE. NOT. DEMIGODS." I snarled.

He completely ignored me. "But eventually, you will have to come to terms with the fact that you _are_ the offspring of the gods. When your parents recognize you with a sign from Olympus - this will occur before you're thirteen - you will be forced to face the fact."

Jess laughed sadly and shook her head. "I hate to tell you this, but this is a huge mistake. You've got the wrong people."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Well, it _seems_ I have the right people. Jessica Bolten, James Burns, Elizabeth Corleone, Mackenzie Rosenbloom, Tatiana Skye, Kasey Tydall, and Jackie Yang? That's what my camp roster says." A scroll of papyrus materialized out of nowhere.

"Then you've got the wrong list." Jessica said simply.

"What makes you so sure?" Chiron said curiously.

"WE GO TO A _MENTAL SCHOOL_. WE'RE THE STUPIDEST KIDS YOU'LL EVER MEET. WE'VE ALL GOT ADHD _AND_ DYSLEXIA, DAMNIT!" James yelled.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Which totally proves our point."

"_Excuse_ me?" I asked, utterly confused.

Annabeth gestured towards the window. "Look out there." She said quietly. "See all those kids?"

"Newsflash." Tori crossed her arms. "_Every single one_ of those kids - including Percy, Annabeth, and me - have ADHD and dyslexia."

"I _KNEW_ IT!" James bellowed, making me start.

"Knew _what_, Burns?" Kasey asked, eyebrows bunching.

"I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, _I KNEW IT_!" James said angrily, slamming his fist against the dining table. "This is an asylum! A mental institution! They're doing some sort of insane study on kids like us - and we're their lab rats."

Kasey put her head in her hands.

"They must have us hooked up to one of those simulation gadgets that make us _think_ we saw actual gargoyles and satyrs and centaurs and all that other rubbish- when they're probably all green-screened CGI someone stuck inside our head!" James finished heatedly.

I looked at him skeptically. I mean, that gargoyle bite certainly hadn't _felt_ simulated.

"You think I'm a computer generated image." Chiron stated slowly.

Percy nudged Annabeth. "Well, that's the most original one we've heard so far."

"Sonny, you think _this _can be simulated by you mere mortals?" Dionysus summoned up another grapevine and used it to slap James on the cheek, leaving a large red mark.

"OW!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned to us. "ADHD and dyslexia are basically medical labels for demigod side effects. What doctors detect as ADHD are really your instinctive battle tactics and intuition. You've been diagnosed with dyslexia because you've showed that you have trouble reading English, but unlike real dyslexia, your condition doesn't apply to all texts. That's because your native alphabet is not actually the _Latin_ alphabet, it's the _Greek_ alphabet, so reading Greek for you is easier than reading English, French, or Spanish."

I remembered those times when we would carpool to school and pass the University of South Florida during rush season, when all the sorority and fraternity recruits were up. We use to play a game to see who could name the sorority and fraternity the fastest. Now I know why recognizing the Greek letters was so easy for us.

But I was still skeptical about this whole demigod thing. I bit my lip.

"Still not sure?" Percy asked, guessing my thoughts.

"I mean - it all just seems so unreal." I shrugged.

"Wait, I can't be a demigod!" Tatiana blurted.

"Why's that?" Annabeth questioned.

"To be a demigod, one of your parents has to be a god, right?" Tatiana said. "Well, everyone else here has a missing parent, who's supposedly either deceased, divorced, or have disappeared. In some cases," Tatiana scanned over Jessica and I, "Both of their parents are missing. So for them, there's a possibility that their missing parent is a god."

"But I _know_ both of my biological parents, and I'm pretty sure that neither of them is a divine being." Tatiana said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"_Do_ you know both of your parents?" Dionysus asked, amused.

"Yes. Martin and Capri Skye." Tati said proudly.

"Your father." Chiron said inquisitively. "Do you think he looks like you?"

"I - well - ah." Tati closed her mouth. "Well." She coughed.

We all knew the answer to Chiron's question; a definitive NO. While Tati had a tanned, freckled complexion with wheat-colored hair and a healthy build, Martin was a thin, tweedy kind of guy, with pale skin, horn-rimmed glasses, and graying red hair. Ironically . . . .he was a professor of Greek mythology.

"I hate to tell you this, but Martin Skye has absolutely no blood relation to you." Chiron pronounced.

"So we're demigods, then." Jessica said quietly.

"But wait, if we're demigods - shouldn't we have, like, special powers or something?" I frowned.

"Well, don't you all have special powers?" Chiron smiled.

I thought back to Tatiana's healed hand. And that _ghastly_ thing James did to the gargoyle.

"So we're demigods, then." I stated. And I broke out into a huge grin.


	6. The New Guy

_"A mighty pain to love it is,_  
_And 'tis a pain that pain to miss"_

_-Abraham Cowley_

Percy, Annabeth, and Tori walked us down to the Hermes cabin, where we were going to stay until our parents claimed us. Tori looked so different - so much more confident and at home - in the bright orange t-shirt she had changed into.

"You know, that's my dad. Hermes?" Tori informed us.

"I figured." I said knowingly. "You know, how you're always getting detention for nicking people's stuff."

"So you've been their protector this whole time?" Percy asked Tori. "All _seven_ of them?" He said, for some reason emphasizing _seven_.

Tori put her hands in her jean pockets, refusing to meet Percy's eyes. "Yeah . . ."

Annabeth whistled. "Hard job, following _seven_ of 'em."

Tori shrugged. "It's pretty easy, actually. All of them are always together."

"So you guys are all tight?" Percy gestured towards us.

"We've been best friends ever since we got sent to DISS in third grade." Kasey explained.

Percy shot Annabeth a look that I couldn't decipher.

As we walked by the volleyball courts, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the fast-moving satyrs mingled in among the orange-clothed campers.

"What's a protector?" Tatiana questioned.

"The person that's supposed to watch out for you outside of your home and Camp Half-Blood." Tori defined. "Usually satyrs act as the protectors - but they ran short this year because so many are on strike."

"It's gotten even worse since you've gone." Annabeth informed.

"Oh, great Pan." Tori groaned.

"But wait - why do we need to be "watched out for"?" I asked.

Tori explained. "You see, when you guys start nearing the age of thirteen, you start giving off this "scent" -"

"I use deodorant!" Mackenzie protested.

Tori rolled her eyes. "A _demigod_ scent - which monsters can detect. So I'm supposed to protect you from being ambushed by monsters -"

"Such as _gargoyles_." James interjected.

"So _that's_ why you've been stalking us for the whole year?" Mackenzie raised a perfectly tweezed eyebrow.

Tori shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. You guys thought I was _so _weird."

"Well, you _are_." Percy said in a _duh_ tone.

"Watch it, Jackson." Tori socked him hard in the stomach.

"_Holy Zeus_, that _hurt!_" Percy wheezed.

Tori smirked. "And I thought you were immortal."

Percy glared. "I'm going to get you for this, squirt."

"Can't touch me." Tori said cockily.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. She gave Tori an experimental flick on her shoulder. "Well, well, well. Looks like _somebody_ managed to score a knockoff Achilles armor."

So _that's_ why Tori was the only one that stayed dry in the rain! _That's_ why Lizzy and the gargoyles couldn't touch her.

We came to the small river, though not small enough for us to cross on foot. And the bridge we had used before wasn't anywhere to be seen.

My eyes widened as Percy waved a hand, and a crest of water rose up to form an arched bridge.

"Have you all ever wondered what it was like to walk on water?" Percy asked as he and Annabeth casually stepped onto the bridge. It held up like stone. Tori crossed right behind of them. We all looked at each other, then Kasey took a tentative step onto the bridge. Soon enough, all of us had crossed the river.

"What're those necklaces you all are wearing?" James pointed to the clay bead necklaces that all three of the campers were wearing. "Not exactly the fashion, is it?" He snorted.

While Annabeth glared at him, then explained the tradition of the clay beads at Camp Half-Blood, I noticed Percy giving all of us a weird look. It was as if he was analyzing us . . .really weird. Maybe one of his demigod powers was reading people's minds? But he was _clearly_ the son of Poseidon.. . . I shrugged it off; I wasn't quite sure how this whole demigod thing worked anyways.

As we passed the dueling arena. I felt a chill run down my back as I heard the cold sound of clashing metal.

"And this trident - well, this was for Percy's first year at Camp Half-Blood." A small smile played on Annabeth's face as she sank back into memories.

"Why? What happened?" Tatiana shot an inquisitive glance at Percy.

Annabeth and Percy grinned at each other. "Well . . ." Annabeth began. "It all started out with a certain prophecy. . . ."

Pretty soon all of us were entranced by the story. Who knew that we could be hanging out not just with the hottest badass demigod ever, but with the hottest badass _heroic_ demigod ever? He was like one of those stereotypical heroes in stories.

"Oh, and then, in Percy's third year, I was abducted along with Artemis. Yeah, it was a load of laughs." She said as our eyes widened. "That was when we met our friend -"

"Hey, is that Nico di Angelo I see there?" Percy yelled, staring off into the distance. "Nico!"

"Nico?" Annabeth shaded her eyes to look.

We all turned to see a lean, tall, dark figure heading towards us in the distance. As he neared, I could tell that he was about our age. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans, and even though it was the end of May, he was wearing a sweatshirt. For what reason, I had no idea. From what I could tell, he and James could've shared a wardrobe. Well, maybe James dressed a _little_ better - you know, more British - but the color scheme gave me déjà vu.

"Hey." Nico greeted. He and Percy did their little "guy-hug" thing, and Annabeth gave him a short hug.

"Well, Ghost King, looks like you've sprung up this year." Annabeth patted Nico's head. "Pretty soon you'll be as tall as Percy."

"Well, we can't have _that_, can we?" Percy ruffled Nico's dark hair. "I still have to be able to intimidate you, Di Angelo."

Nico rolled his eyes. "So, how've you lovebirds been doing since last summer?"

Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth's waist. "We've been just dandy, thanks for asking."

James mimicked gagging as Annabeth tucked her head on Percy's shoulder.

"And how's Luna, Nico?" Annabeth asked.

Nico laughed. "Old, _old_ news. Please. Two months was the longest record for me, man."

"Have . . .you had any _other_ girlfriends?" Percy frowned.

Nico smirked and ticked off on his hand. "Becca, Nicole, Hannah, Melissa, Sasha, Chrissy, and Ruby. All in one year. But I wouldn't actually call them my _girlfriends_ . . . ."

I was beginning to like this guy less and the less by the second.

"Nico, you're awfully fast for a thirteen-year-old, don't you think?" Annabeth said, concerned.

Nico shrugged. "I'd like to experience as much as I can before I get bombarded with family conflict again. I mean, that takes up a _lot_ of your blooming childhood."

"So who're you with now? Ruby?" Percy asked.

Nico spread out his arms. "Nah, Ruby was too possessive. Can't stand me getting within two feet of any other girl. So now I'm a free man. . . ." Nico's dark eyes flickered over to Lizzy, who instantly stiffened, her gaze hardening. "That is . . . unless you want to introduce me to some of your friends, Percy?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but Percy smirked. "No problem."

"You know Tori Eschenbrenner, she's about your age, Hermes cabin." Percy gestured. "That's Tatiana, James, Jackie, Kasey, Mackenzie, Jessica, and er - sorry, I don't remember what your name was . . .Lisa?"

"Elizabeth." Lizzy crossed her arms.

"Wow, _Elizabeth_." Nico said, moving closer towards her. "You're just like my homework."

"I'm sorry?' Lizzy raised a dangerous eyebrow. Oh sweet Zeus, he was not going to go down the same road that so many other fools had done before him . . . .

"I'd slap you down on the table and do you all night." Nico leered.

_Ohhh_, he went down that road alright.

You see, Lizzy is, hands down, the prettiest one out of all seven of us. With her defined Italian bone structure, olive skin, and envious mass of dark brown waves (which she decided to ruin with that notorious bright green streak behind her ear), Lizzy could easily could've won out in the dating game over Mackenzie.

Just one little thing - Lizzy had an _awful_ temper. Her disposition was rather, er, violent and unpredictable. And after enduring years of come-ons from annoying jerks, she had _clearly_ had enough. The guys at our school had learned their lesson from painful experience, but occasionally the naïve, unaware stranger would try their hand at the Italian lioness. Such as the poor, unfortunate, naïve and unaware Nico di Angelo.

_Wham!_

"HOLY--!"

The said Nico di Angelo was now doubled over in pain, clutching his rather sensitive area. His face went completely red, he was breathing in wheezes, and I could see his eyes tearing up.

"Who's on the table now?" Lizzy looked down at Nico.

I looked over at Lizzy and couldn't help laughing. "Haven't lost your touch yet, Corleone."

"Thanks, smartass." Lizzy winked.


	7. The Concubine and the Hothead

_"A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand."  
_

_-Lucius A. Seneca_

"Wow - what a charmer." Kasey remarked. "I'm surprised at how he managed to score even _one_ girl, much less seven."

"Eight." Nico corrected, his face contorted in pain.

"Er - well, great to see you again, Nico." Percy said awkwardly.

"You too." Nico answered weakly.

"Hey, we'll catch up later, okay?" Annabeth looked a bit sympathetic, yet ready to crack up at the same time. "I've got to take our new arrivals down to Hermes."

"Sure, sure." Nico turned away, wincing. "I'll be at the dueling arena later."

* * *

"He hasn't always been like that, you know." Annabeth confided once we were out of earshot.

"You mean that cheap sleaze of a bastard he is?" Lizzy ground her teeth together.

"He used to be a totally different person. It's just been this last year that Nico's started being so forward with girls. I mean, he didn't even talk to _anybody_ before, besides his sister- he was _that_ shy." Annabeth sighed. "I remember when Nico was just that small, awkward boy with only his Mythomagic figurines for company. "

"And then it all changed." Tori sighed.

"Let's just say his hormones kicked in." Percy said mischievously .

"Well, I supposed he _had_ to get tired of being lonely all the time." Annabeth admitted. "Well, here we are! I don't think you all got to see it up close on our tour, did you?"

We had arrived at a huge clump of cabins. They were formed like three letter Us, one big one on the outside, a small U in the middle, and the inner U - made up of fourteen of the biggest cabins. Two monstrous cabins dominated the curve of the U.

"It used to be just these cabins in the middle. Well, actually just the twelve here" Annabeth pointed. "For the Olympians. A couple of years ago, after we fought this huge war, where Percy saved the world _again_ - long story - it was decided that every god, minor or major, would have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood for their kids. So the other cabins were built. Hades and Hestia were added on each side, as you see. And that fire pit in the middle is a tribute to Hestia as well."

Percy grinned. "Annabeth would know; she was the chief architect on the project. Wise Girl here's going to grow up to be the next I.M. Pei."

Annabeth blushed and glowed with pride. "Don't be a kiss-up, Seaweed Brain." She said dismissively, trying to hide her smile. "Anyways, those two huge mansions up there, Cabin 1 and Cabin 2, are for the children of Zeus and Hera. Not that Hera needs a cabin - nothing out of wedlock going on there - but you know, she would throw a fit if we didn't have a cabin for her." Zeus cabin was just grand, and Hera's cabin was very classy and elegant. What it would be like to live in there . . . .

"And Cabin 3, that's my home." Percy gestured towards a long building next to Zeus', made up of some sort of light stone. There was a trident over the door, and I noticed a wall fountain installed on the side.

"And that's Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Hades." Annabeth counted off. "And on the other side we've got Demeter, Athena, Artemis, Aprhodite, Dionysus, and Hestia. Basically all the gods are on the left and all the goddesses are on the right. Well, except for Mr. D's cabin."

Percy snickered.

"And so when are we supposed to be 'claimed' by our parents?' Lizzy asked.

"Well, technically, they don't _absolutely_ have to claim you until you're thirteen." Annabeth said.

"_What?_ You mean - I might have to stay in a cramped cabin with about fifty other people for _five months_?"

Percy shrugged. "It all depends. If you sacrifice a lot of offerings at dinner, your parents might be nice to you."

We were led to a building with brown paint and a golden caduceus over the doorway. I noticed, with amusement, that the shutters of the windows were painted and shaped like wings.

"Well, looks like you've cleaned up the cabin a bit since I've last been here, Annabeth." Tori said appreciatively.

"Oh, yeah. A few of the year-rounders helped me repaint the cabin in the spring. The peeling paint was an _eyesore_. Oh, by the way, how do you like the shutters?" Annabeth asked.

"I love them. They'll match my Converse - well, once I get them out of my suitcase."

"Suitcase!" Mackenzie suddenly blurted.

"What is it, Tots?" Kasey asked, concerned.

"My suitcase - my stuff! All my stuff is still at home! I mean, we're staying here for the whole summer, right?" Mackenzie started muttering to herself. "Oh dear gods, how in the world am I going to get through a day without my deodorant? And my razor? And my facial wash and my Bath & Body Sweet Pea shower gel and my -"

"Relax!" Annabeth laughed. "A notice was sent to your parents soon after you arrived. They've packed your bags already, and we sent some of the Hermes kids to collect them. Hopefully -" Annabeth pushed open the wooden door of the cabin. "They've already arrived."

The cabin was pretty much deserted except for a couple of loners playing chess in the corner. I assumed, since it was still early in the afternoon - that everyone else was out doing camp activities - like climbing that huge rock wall with the lava stream that I'd seen earlier.

"Yay! Love you Daddy!" Mackenzie said as she raced to a bottom bunk where her Louis Vuitton suitcase was lying on the bed. "And he locked it too! He knows me too well." Mackenzie fished around in her pocket. "Now, where is that key . . . . .?"

I smiled as I spotted my familiar silver quilted duffel on the bunk above Jessica's. Mary, my adoptive mother, must've packed it for me. I suddenly wondered if she knew just what I was . . . .and I wondered how long she had known.

"Are you serious?" Kasey complained as she climbed up the ladder to retrieve her trunk. "No way I'm bunking above Goldilocks here. Someone trade?"

"I'll swap!" Tati dragged her yellow canvas suitcase off the bed. "You can bunk with Lizzy."

"I wonder who I'm with?" James had made himself comfortable in a bunk on the other side of the room, his arms folded behind his head.

"Marcus Robles." Tori gestured to the bunk above him.

"Is he hot?" James raised an eyebrow.

Annabeth nearly choked.

"Jaykay, honey." James smirked. "I don't roll that way, and you know it." His eyes raked her up and down.

"Whoa, whoa, now wait a second here!" Percy said, protective. "You watch yourself kid." He said, narrowing his eyes at James. "Don't let me see you try anything funny on my girlfriend."

"I won't . . . let you see." James muttered.

"James, you're such an _idiot_." Jessica said, annoyed. I couldn't resist a smile.

"I know it." James smirked.

Percy tapped Annabeth on the shoulder. "Hey, Wise Girl, I'm leaving, alright?"

"Oh, okay. Going to see Nico?"

"Uh - yeah. But first I'm going up to the House to talk to Chiron about . . ." Percy glanced over the seven of us. "Some things."

"O-oh." Annabeth nodded knowingly.

Tori perked to attention.

"Wait - what're you going to talk to Chiron about?" Tori asked suspiciously.

"Nothing . . ." Annabeth said.

"Are you sure?" Tori narrowed her eyes. "Because I'm pretty sure -"

"It's nothing." Percy reassured too quickly.

"Well, it sounded like -"

"Nothing."

Tori looked at the pair, assessing them. "You guys aren't -"

"No." Percy and Annabeth said in unison. Clearly, the "lying" trait was _not_ dominant among children of Poseidon and Athena.

"Because I'm pretty sure Chiron wouldn't -"

"But we're not."

"I'm just telling you -"

"But we _won't_."

"Okay then -"

"Okay, then!" Percy said, then made a quick exit.

"I found the key!" Mackenzie announced happily from her bunk.

Tori opened her mouth, closed it, then shook her head.

Annabeth patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"Listen, I have my suspi-"

"WHAT IN HADES IS _THAT_?!?!?!" Mackenzie yelled, jumping back from her suitcase.

Tati swung down from the top bunk to see. "_Mackenzie!_ What is that doing in your suitcase?"

Kasey peeked over. "Ew, Macintosh, didn't know you shopped at Victoria's Secret."

"What about Victoria?" Tori approached Mackenzie's bunk. She inside Mackenzie's suitcase, and her jaw dropped. "

"That - that's APRHODITE'S GIRDLE! You _slut!_" Tori accused.

"I didn't put it in there, I swear!" Mackenzie cried.

I looked over to see a dainty pink undergarment sitting in old Louis. It looked like one of those old-fashioned things that the girls used to suffocate themselves with in movies like _Gone With the Wind_. You know, the ones that you wear around your stomach or chest that tie at the back really, really tight?

"Oh, let's see it!" James hopped up eagerly. Oh, of course he would get excited over lingerie.

"Looks like you've just been claimed." Annabeth smiled.

"My mom's a _concubine_?" Mackenzie shrieked. "After all these years of wondering - and this is what I get? This is rich."

"_I'm_ not surprised." Kasey said bluntly. Well, neither was I, but I wasn't going to say anything.

Mackenzie's eyes flashed angrily. "Of course you wouldn't be. She _is_ the goddess of beauty after all."

Annabeth leaned over and fingered the silky pink fabric of the girdle. "Very useful gift that your mother's sent you. Even though I can't _imagine_ how you can breathe in it."

"What does it do?"

"Well, when you wear it - _if_ you can wear it without fainting - it's supposed to make you irresistible to all males - mortal or divine."

Mackenzie's eyes gleamed mischievously.

Annabeth continued. "And if you're in a tough situation you can always use it to suffocate your opponent. Now, this obviously is just a replica of the actual girdle, so it's not as strong as your mother's real one, but I'm sure it'll still come in plenty handy."

Mackenzie wrinkled her nose. "Why is it called a girdle? I thought it was supposed to be called a croissant."

"You mean _corset_?" Kasey said, looking at her in disbelief.

"Whatever, corset, croissant." Mackenzie waved it off. "So why's it called a girdle?"

"Well, it's a bit awkward to be discussing undergarments in front of a guy -" Annabeth looked over at James and blushed. "Anyways, I suppose you _could_ call this a corset, but your mother's actual garment _is _a formal girdle. They're a bit different."

"So can she leave the cabin now?" Kasey asked.

"Oh, yeah. Now that you're claimed, I'll take you over to see your siblings. I'll leave the rest of you to unpack." Mackenzie zipped up her suitcase and pulled it off the bed. Annabeth turned towards the door. "I'll see you all around, okay?"

"See you!"

"Bye!"

"Au revoir!"

After the two of them had left, Tatiana plopped her suitcase down on the bunk that Mackenzie had just been occupying. "Yes! Two bunks to myself. Too bad you swapped with me, huh, Kaseydilla?"

Kasey shrugged. "I'm just glad that bimbo's gone."

"How nice of you." James remarked.

Lizzy shook her head. "I can't believe my best friend's a BP."

* * *

I grimaced. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Uh, _yeah_." Tori said. "Dude, sword fighting skills are _essential_ for demigods. Especially since we've got a huge Capture the Flag game planned for tomorrow."

"You guys play Capture the Flag?" Kasey perked up.

"Yeah . . .but not in a way you've ever played before. We've got swords, shields, magic items, armor, the whole shebang."

Tatiana frowned. "That sounds dangerous - and painful."

"It _is_ dangerous and painful. I would know." Tori winced. "I know from experience. Thank Dad that I have those handy-dandy flying shoes, huh?"

"So are we going to do this thing or what?" Lizzy said, brandishing the iron sword she'd picked up at the Armory.

I gulped as I looked at the large fencing arena. Everywhere I couldn't look anywhere without suffering from shivers. All these kids, waving large, sharp, weapons around carelessly . . .

Okay, so I've always hated sharp things. Anything that could cut skin. This included anything from paper to scissors to knives to - well, obviously - swords. Bullets and bombs didn't frighten me _nearly_ as much as our plain old household butcher's knife. I had a strange fear at the thought of cutting skin with cold, sharp metal. It was just so . . . ugh. I couldn't begin to imagine how Emo people went through their motions.

I grasped my sword nervously as I walked further into the arena. My armor felt awkward on my shoulders.

Kasey nudged me. "Hey, look, it's Stupid Cupid."

I looked over at a group of unhappy-looking Aphrodite kids. Mackenzie was among them, and she looked as sour as the next demigod. Clearly, swordsmanship was not their forte either.

Chiron trotted out into the arena. "Good afternoon, all of you! Thank you for attending today's fencing session. I'll let you all warm up for about fifteen minutes, then we'll pair off to practice."

Oh, I prayed to great Delphi that I would get paired with Mackenzie.

I lifted up the sword a little, and practiced moving it. I felt really retarded, though.

"You look really retarded." James confirmed, looking at me sadly.

I rapped his breastplate with the tip of my sword. "You always do, but I don't waste my breath to tell you."

Kasey rolled her eyes. "Yang, you wanna practice?"

"Sure . . ."

We practiced blocking each other's jabs - in extra slow motion. I felt like I was walking on eggshells.

"You're not aggressive enough!" Kasey complained.

"Sor_ry!_" I said, frustrated.

"It's because she's afraid she's going to hurt somebody." A mockingly cold voice said from behind me. I whipped around to see ol' high-and-mighty King of Ghosts - His Royal Highness Nico di Pervert himself.

"Did somebody ask you?" I said quietly, with an edge in my voice.

"Yeah. Your pathetic swordsmanship is practically begging for my help." Nico carelessly twirled around a short black sword, then gently pushed Kasey away with the flat of the blade. "I think it would help if she was going against someone she _wasn't _afraid to hurt. Move it, will you, love?"

I don't know if it was the fact that she was getting pushed around, or that he had called her "love", but Kasey looked _pissed_. She stalked off, muttering a string of profanities.

"Okay, lemme make this clear." I said, smiling sweetly. "I have _no_ intention of dueling with you."

"Because you know you wouldn't win?" Nico said smugly.

"_Exactly_." I said. "So I'll be on my way now." I tried to move past him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where're you going?" Nico blocked my way. Ugh, he was so tall compared to me! Shortness sucks. "Nice try, Jackie. It _is_ Jackie, right?"

"Okay, Nico di Angelo, what do you want?" I said, annoyed.

Before he could respond, Chiron came back out. "Alright, warm-up's over, you guys! Pair off, and start practicing your dueling techniques!"

I looked over for Kasey, but she was paired off with Tatiana. Mackenzie was already taken by Jessica. _Drat_. There goes my easy way out. And Lizzy and James were already in the thick of a fierce swordfight. With every time their swords made contact with another surface, I flinched.

"Well, it looks like you're left with me." Nico grinned evilly.

"I am _not_ going to duel with you!" I spat.

"What? Afraid?" He mocked. I really hated this guy. "What a _coward_."

He poked me in my armor. I backed up. "Scared, are you? Weak, defenseless, little Jackie." He struck me in the stomach with the flat of his blade.

_OW._ I clutched my tummy. That _hurt_. Why wouldn't he stop?

"You're such an easy kill." Nico said, the smile wiped off his face, replaced by a sneer. His sword pushed me back into the arena wall.

Before I could do anything, Nico had his blade at my neck - the one crucial, unprotected part of my body.

I felt my throat close up as the freezing cold metal pressed against my skin. For once, I felt a wave of true fear.

He wouldn't - I mean, he _couldn't_ actually hurt me, right? Certainly not. That was against the rules, right . . . .? Even if we were demigods, battery couldn't be allowed. Could it?

"HOLY ZEUS, THAT WAS MY FINGER!!!!!!!"

The exclamation from an Aphrodite cabin member answered my question.

I hadn't moved a muscle, and I felt my breath coming up short and quick. When was Nico going to take the blade away?

"Aren't you going to _do_ something about it?" He snapped. "Are you just going to stand there and wait for me to kill you?"

I broke out in cold sweat.

"I _hate_ sissy girls."

Then I felt it. Slowly but surely, I felt an itch on my neck. The itch turned into a raw sting. It couldn't be . . .

I looked down and saw red trickling down my throat. Oh my gods, Nico di Angelo had just slit my throat! He could've _really _hurt me! What if he'd moved the sword just a millimeter more and hit a crucial vein? I could be _dying_ right now!

Oh, _now_ I was royally pissed. Without thinking, I swung my sword up before Nico could move, and I struck his elbow, hard, with the flat of my blade. His arm crumpled, and his face was distorted with shock and pain at the same time. It gave me a weird satisfaction.

I felt my mind switch modes instantly. The boy in front of me no longer had a name or face. He transformed into a pile of flesh, skin, and bones. He was merely my next target; he could've been a boxing dummy or a potato sack, for all I care. All I knew was I had a huge, violent, urge to feel my sword run through him many, many, times.

This was when the ADHD kicked in.

By the time Chiron called the whistle, I somehow ended up pinning Nico to the ground with my foot, _both_ of our swords at his throat. He had some nasty cuts, I regarded to my satisfaction, and a Texas-sized bruise on his elbow, no doubt.

Oh, and I had shamelessly reinforced the injury Lizzy had instituted on him with a stab of the hilt. Okay, totally low of me to do, but he deserved it. It must've been awful painful for him. I could see tears leaking out of his eyes. I smirked at him.

"Aww . . . .poor wittle Nico di Baby. Sad, are you?" I mocked with vengeance, then I stepped off of his stomach, tossed his sword on the ground next to him, and walked off.

* * *

"Jackie! I saw you, you were completely beast!" Lizzy greeted as we shed our heavy armor off in the locker rooms.

"Thanks! You and James were really battling it out there, too!"

James groaned, sitting down on a bench and massaging his arm. "I surrender. Lizzy is just the best swordsman ever."

"_Woman_." Lizzy emphasized.

"Whatever." James rolled his eyes.

We all walked over to the Armory to put our weapons away. As we returned our swords to their numbered hooks, Lizzy called me over.

"Hey, smartass, look at this." She frowned, gesturing towards a monstrous double-headed axe.

"What about it?"

"Well, this is the place my rental sword's supposed to be." Lizzy raised her cast-iron camp sword.

I rolled my eyes. "So someone misplaced their axe. Big deal."

"Applejacks, that's not the problem . . ." Lizzy said, frustrated.

"What _is _the problem then?"

Lizzy ran her finger over one of the blades of the axe. "My name is engraved on it."

"What!?" I exclaimed, looking at the letters. "Lizzy, how would you know? It's in _Greek_."

Lizzy shrugged. "I just know what it says. I don't know how."

I took the axe off the hook and looked closer at the engraved blade. _**Ελισάβετ**_ . . . .

It was weird, but what Lizzy said was true. I don't know how I knew - but by instinct I could read what it said. _**Elizabeth.**_

Huh. Guess we all really _did _know Greek.

But the question was this - what was Lizzy's name doing on a double-headed axe?

"Hey guys, what's up?" Tatiana approached us, then glanced at the axe with interest. "Hey, whats that?"

"An axe." I said, handing it to her.

She squinted at the engraved script. "Wait . . .does that say _Elizabeth_?"

"What does?" James peeked over our shoulders.

"The axe has Lizzy's name engraved on it." I explained.

"Lizzy's got an axe? No fair!" Kasey whined. "Where's _my_ weapon of mass destruction?"

"Your face." James shot back.

Jessica took the axe from Tatiana. "It really _does_ say Elizabeth."

Tori slipped the axe out of Jessica's hand to examine for herself. After a few moments, she flipped the axe over, finding another engraved word on the other side. _**Άρης. **_She read the word slowly out loud, then lowered the axe and looked at Lizzy.

"Well, it looks like another one has been claimed."

* * *

_**Author's Note**_: I'd just like to take the time, again, to thank my amazingly supportive friends/characters who supply me with all these good ideas. I'd like to give a special thanks to **Lizzy, Kasey, Tori, **and **Mackenzie **for inspiring me with funny lines and ideas. But I still love you, **Tater Tots, Jahmes, **and **Jessie-Wessie**.


	8. The Sunkist and the Owl Child

_"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom."_

_-Unknown_

"Jackie, is that a hickey?" Tatiana gaped at my neck as we trudged tiredly up to the dining pavilion.

"NO." I said firmly, fingering the stinging red mark.

"Didn't you see it?" James asked. "That Nico bloke had her backed up against the wall with a sword at her throat."

"That's just _evil_." Jessica's eyes widened in disbelief.

"_He's_ evil." Kasey pointed out.

"Here, you want me to fix up your neck?" Tati offered, placing two fingers on the cut.

"Thanks, Tots." I said as I felt the irritation slowly subside. "You're the best."

"Well, look who's arrived!" James called. We all turned to see Lizzy and Mackenzie making their way up the lawn towards us.

"All settled into the Ares cabin, Lizzy?" He asked.

"Yeah. I absolutely love my siblings. _They, _unlike you guys, can actually take a punch." Lizzy grinned.

"And how're you cherubs doing?" Kasey asked Mackenzie.

"Much better away from _you_." Mackenzie sniffed.

When we got to the pavilion, Lizzy and Mackenzie went to join their cabinmates, leaving the five of us with the noisy and crowded Hermes table.

"Does it ever bother you to have so many people in your cabin?" Tatiana leaned over to ask Tori.

Tori nodded. "You think?" She shrugged. "But it's gotten better over the years. Before, _all_ of the kids of the minor gods had to bunk with us."

"Hey, Jackie." Jessica nudged my elbow. "There's your favorite person in camp."

I smirked as I saw Nico limping slightly to his table, the purple bruise still visible on his elbow. Oh, the warm and fuzzy feeling I got inside. He shot me a dark glare before sitting down at the Hades table that he got all to himself.

Dinner with the Hermes cabin was loud and raucous, but they were all nice enough. Well, you know, when they weren't nicking your brownie and all. They caught us all up with the whole demigod/Camp Half-Blood thing. And we found out the rest of the Percy Jackson Tale of Saving The World. Which happened to be very interesting.

The sun was setting, when I noticed something very odd happening to Tatiana.

I elbowed Kasey. "Hey, do you see that?" I said in a low voice, jerking my head towards Tatiana, who was sitting across the table from us, having a conversation with the Stoll brothers. (Connor was the one with my brownie).

Kasey squinted, frowned, then nodded.

The sun happened to be setting directly behind Tati, and as it sank to the point where it was eclipsed by her head, the golden rays of the corona shimmered and extended, encircling her hair like a crown. It reminded me of the headpiece on the Statue of Liberty. Tati's sandy hair glinted gold in the sunset.

Jessica and James must've noticed too, because they shot Tati - who was completely oblivious to it all - a strange look.

The sun finally sank behind the trees, leaving the sky a light lavender that melted into darker blue. I waited tentatively for a few moments for some sort of startling occurrence, but nothing happened.

Just as I was dismissing the sun-crown as a figment of my imagination, I thought I saw something glinting in Tatiana's hair.

"What in the world is that you've got there?" James leaned over and plucked a small golden decorative comb out of Tatiana's ballerina bun.

Tatiana looked surprised. "I have _no_ idea how that got in my hair . . . .I've never seen it before in my life."

I leaned over to take a closer look at the comb. It was rather small and wider than it was tall. There was no handle. As I examined it further, I realized it was shaped to look like one of those miniature harps. The teeth in the middle were like strings and the two edge teeth curved and curlicued into the frame of the harp. On the side of the comb was a sun-shaped insignia.

I suddenly thought of the name. "Lyre."

Tati looked bewildered. "No, I _swear_, I really haven't ever seen it before! If you don't believe me -"

I rolled my eyes, cutting in. "I _meant_, this comb looks like a lyre. You know, a small harp?"

"Oh." Tati gave a small laugh. "Huh. I wonder how it ended up in my hair."

"I think your father put it there." Jessica said.

"What?" Tatiana looked bemused.

"Look - there's a Greek engraving on the side." Jessica flipped the comb over and read aloud. "_After clouds, sunshine_. It's pretty obvious to me what this comb signifies." It was pretty obvious to me, as well.

Tori, who had just gotten up to sacrifice her fried chicken to her dad, passed us on the way back to her seat. Before anyone could react, she had snatched the comb out of Jessica's hand to examine.

"Well, well, well, daddy's little girl." Tori pronounced after reading the proverb. "Let's see what Apollo has up his sleeve for his newfound daughter." She flipped the comb over a few times, looking for something, then smirked and pressed the sun insignia on the other side.

The teeth of the comb abruptly sharpened and shot out to a dangerous length. James instantly paled. Thank the _gods_ Tori hadn't held the comb a few inches closer - the comb functioned exactly like those Wolverine claws Hugh Jackman sported. Scary that something _so_ pretty had come within an inch of taking out James' eye.

"You spoiled children." Tori shook her head as she retracted the comb to its original size and handed it back to Tatiana.

"You're one to talk!" Kasey scoffed. "You've got your caduceus so you never have to be in pain!"

Tori smiled smugly. "A-and." She drawled, pulling out the blue pencil from behind her ear, which instantly lengthened. "I can transform it into any weapon of choice."

She twirled it around like a baton, and I watched with envy as the blue caduceus flashed into a saber, a sword, an AK-47, a hunting rifle, and then into a leather whip, before returning to its original glowing blue form.

"Alright, enough showing off already!" Tatiana mocked annoyance. "Can I move to my new cabin now?'

"I'd advise tossing your blueberry pie in for your dad first. You know, to thank him for recognizing you with an amazing weapon - if I may also say, a rather snazzy accessory?" Tori raised an eyebrow.

The rest of us headed up to the fire pit after Tati. As I scraped off the remains of my alfredo and a _whole_ cheesecake slice - I know, I'm crazy - I looked up to the heavens in silent wonder as to _whom_ exactly I was sacrificing. I was eager to _finally_ find one of my parents - yet, at the same time, I felt I wasn't quite prepared to learn the truth.

"Yang, are you just going to stand their staring off into space, or are you going to move sometime in the next millenium?" Kasey sighed in exasperation.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my seat.

* * *

I thought about it later into the night, during those dark, quiet, hours where no one else is awake; when Artemis shone down through the window, flooding our bunk sheets in a pure, chaste white. The soothing band of crickets and owls performed at their best, adding to the tranquillity of the rustling leaves set off by the night wind. It didn't seem to do the nocturnal symphony any justice to fill my mind with such noise and turmoil while they were doing so much to keep the night young and serene.

What if my parent took _forever_ to claim me? They didn't _have_ to claim me until I was thirteen - it could be months. A mental image filled my mind of all my friends getting claimed one by one, leaving me to rot in a cabin where I didn't belong. The thought was depressing.

What if my parent didn't _want_ me? Gods and goddesses had affairs all the time with mortals - they couldn't keep up with all of the resulting factors of their trysts. What if they'd forgotten me? What if I'd been a mistake? Where they ashamed of me? Was I too stupid, too weak, too talkative, too quiet, or was I not _enough_? I asked my parent these questions in my head, thought highly doubting they'd hear me.

And what if I found out who my parent was - and I was disappointed? So far, all of my friends had gotten really good scores; Aphrodite, Apollo and Ares were three of the Twelve Big Guys sitting on Mount Olympus. What if my mom or dad turned out to be some minor god that no one had ever heard of, with barely any powers?

I mean, it wasn't _their_ fault. I couldn't blame my parent for who they were. And it's not like it was anything _I_ could control either. But still . . . . I really didn't want to fall short of my friends.

My thoughts trailed on, branching off into many other questions and theories. As I lost myself in a web of my own thoughts, I eventually sank into sleep.

* * *

If we hadn't been awake _before_ breakfast, we certainly were after. And it wasn't because of the coffee either. (Though that really helps, _especially_ on Lizzy's part.)

It was the arrow that initially drew us out of our drowsy daze.

After finishing a quick breakfast of pancakes and syrup, the remaining four of us, Kasey, Jessica, James, and myself, went over to the emptying Aphrodite table to give Mackenzie some company. Lizzy and Tatiana joined us.

"Never, ever, _ever_ try to break up a fistfight between two of your brothers." Lizzy said exhaustedly as she sat down.

"I'll take your word." I said, glancing at the bags under her eyes.

"Okay, my siblings are actually really annoying." Mackenzie complained.

"No duh. If they're more airheaded than you, I can see how it can get annoying." Kasey remarked.

Mackenzie ignored the jab. "_All_ they talk about is their hair, or their clothes, or their jewelry, or - this is the worst - _boys_. And well, you know, girls if they're guys. Like, they just _never stop talking_! I mean, I like this stuff and all, but it'd be nice to talk about something _else_ once in a while."

"They sound awful thick." James said sympathetically.

"Ugh. You guys got unlucky." Tatiana adjusted her hair clip, careful not to touch the sun insignia. "I, for once, love my siblings. They're all so talented and artistic and intelligent. Have you _seen_ our cabin? We've got a grand piano in one corner, another upright against the wall. The pianos are never untouched for more than a few minutes. Then there's a Zen meditation area - it's got a gong and everything - and there are these gorgeous paintings hung up all over the place. We don't have bunks, either. We've got these light bamboo Japanese platform beds - like I said, we're really into the whole Eastern Zen theme. It's got something to do with the sun rising in the East first. We even follow feng shui and everything." Tatiana frowned. "Which is weird because my Mom is crazy about feng shui."

"Don't you have that feng shui bulletin board of yours?" James pointed out.

"Yeah . . . I guess my mom got it all from Dad." Tatiana giggled nervously. "It's so odd to learn that my Dad's a god - instead of a bookish professor at USF."

"How well do your siblings play the piano?" I asked. I myself had been playing since I was five. So had James and Tatiana. "Do they play as well as you?"

"Better." Tatiana exhaled with a mix of admiration and disappointment. "A whole lot better. Especially Alex; he's like, a freaking Mozart."

"Well, aren't you happy-go-lucky your family doesn't have brains the size of a pea." Mackenzie said bitterly. "I guess I'll just have to stick to reading my People magazines and my Neiman Marcus catalogs." She huffed. "Why couldn't Aphrodite have picked up something intelligent?"

Suddenly, there was a flash of gold that narrowly missed my nose, and the next thing I knew, there was a quivering golden arrow sticking straight out of Mackenzie's pancakes. How's _that _for a wakeup call?

Mackenzie's eyes widened and she looked up to the blue sky. "Oh, Mother, I was just joking!" She said nervously, panic rising in her voice. "Really! I'm so sorry, really, I won't ever say anything like that again. I swear on the River Styx."

"Mackenzie, I think she's sent you a gift." Jessica remarked, slipping off a small velvet pouch that had been tied onto the end of the arrow. She slowly opened it and shook out its contents into her palm. Four shiny pink star-shaped barrettes tumbled out.

"Ouch. Those edges look _sharp_." Mackenzie observed.

"Well, most of the gifts you all have gotten from your parents transform shape. Maybe when you clip it in your hair the blades will dull?" I guessed.

Mackenzie took out her cupcake barrette and put the stars in her curls carefully. When my theory proved true, she slipped them off again to take a closer look at the sharp-edged stars. "So, how am I supposed to use these?" She frowned.

James rolled his eyes. "You bint, those are shurikens."

"Sure-what?"

"Throwing stars?"

"Sorry, not everyone takes jujitsu, you know. Anyways, what're you supposed to do with these shuri-things?"

James snatched one up and threw it, sideways like a Frisbee, into the air. We clapped as the star curved around the heads of other demigods, then lodged itself deeply into the wooden leg of the Hades table. Nico's face was priceless.

"Aphrodite's not that thick, as it seems. This shuriken won't miss a target." James complimented.

"Great, now you can go get my barrette back." Mackenzie said sweetly.

James snorted. "Nice attempt. I'm not getting it for you."

"You threw it!"

"I'm not getting it. Make Jackie go, _she's_ not scared of the Ghost King."

"You're saying you're scared of him, then?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No - of course not, what rubbish!"

"Then _you_ get the fricking star already!"

However, it turned out we needn't waste our energy arguing about who was going to get the star - Nico di Angelo was walking over to our table, shuriken in hand.

"Oh, great." Lizzy groaned, not eager for another encounter with the Goth kid.

"Hey." Nico said smoothly as he arrived at our table, flashing Mackenzie a smile. "I believe this is yours?" He held up the barrette.

"Yes, that would be mine, thanks." Mackenzie said coldly as she snatched it back from him.

"Well, there's no need to be rude." Nico smirked.

I couldn't resist. "That's one nasty bruise you've got."

His eyes shot daggers at me. He would've looked quite frightening, I admit, but the sudden plop of white bird business on his head kind of ruined the whole 'dark and intimidating' façade.

The whole table burst out into laughter as Nico turned beet red. I looked up to give thanks to the wonderful artist of the white masterpiece, to see a beautiful snow-white owl circling towards me, an olive branch in its hand.

The owl flew to my shoulder, dropped the branch in my arms, nipped me affectionately on the ear, then took flight once more. The owl . . . a sign of Athena. I felt my heart inflate.

"Wait!" I called. I shaded my eyes in the sun, trying to see the owl that was now shrinking into a dot. "Wait -!"

"What's the olive branch supposed to do?" Kasey picked up the branch curiously.

"It's an eternal flame." Nico muttered darkly, rather bitter about his current appearance. He snapped his fingers and a black flame leapt up between his thumb and index finger. He lit the torch. "See, the flame will never go out unless commanded so by the bearer. Which is you." He grabbed Lizzy's mug of coffee and dumped it over the torch, much to Lizzy's chagrin. The flame continued burning steadily. "See? It's supposed to represent eternal enlightenment or some other cheesy Greek crap."

"Ohmigod, it's like the Olympic torch - only it's the actual thing!" Jessica cried, taking it from Kasey's hold.

"I certainly hope Athena's also my mum - I wouldn't have to use a lighter for the rest of life!" James said wishfully.

"James?" Kasey raised an eyebrow. "Hate to burst your bubble, but you kinda already _have_ a mom."

James sighed. "Oh, that's right. And she looks a whole lot like me too, eh? Oh well, Owl Child here will just have to let me borrow her torch some time or other. Isn't that right?"

"Okay, now that we're done getting all excited over piece of wood, can somebody please get rid of this _shit_ on my hair before it dries?" Nico voiced loudly.

But I wasn't really paying attention to anything anyone else was saying.

I just couldn't get over the wonder and pride in discovering I was the daughter of Athena, the goddess of warfare and eternal wisdom.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** _Again, I'd like to thank all of the amazing people who take time out of their lives to read this Fanfiction. This includes Jacobluver26, Mar-mar S., Calliope Muse, my friend Anne, and my dad. :)

And then there's you seven, always coming up with a pool of new ideas and witty lines. This fanfiction wouldn't have been nearly as successful without your help and support, J**essica, James, Kasey, Tatiana, Lizzy, Mackenzie,** and **Tori**. 3 The story of our lives has gotten a whopping total of **98** visitors from the _United States_, _Australia_, the _Netherlands_, _Bahrain_, _Indonesia_, _Britain _(I hope James' British character doesn't offend you all across the pond), _Canada _(eh?), _New Zealand_, _India_, and the _Maldives_.

We've come really far. But then again - we are the children of gods. :)

See you all at DISS tomorrow morning. Talk over breakfast, and hopefully this one doesn't involve arrows or shurikans.


	9. The Big Three

_"A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning." _

_-James Dickey_

"Well, here you are." Tori said as we arrived at an elegant-looking silver cabin. A carved owl perched watchfully atop the doorway.

"Thanks, Tori." I turned to her. "I'll see you around?"

"Actually . . ." Victoria looked uneasy. "I need to speak with Annabeth about something."

"Oh, okay." I pumped the silver handle and pushed the polished door open. Tori followed me in.

The inside of the cabin seemed pretty much deserted. The first words that came to mind to describe the cabin were _professional_ and _businesslike_. An alcove in the middle of the back wall contained a statue of Athena. I sighed with relief at the absence of creaky bunk beds. Sure, there were no bamboo Japanese platforms, but our silver sleigh beds and their soft white sheets looked inviting enough.

The soles of my Keds slapped against the elegant gray marble as I followed Tori further into the room. Through the frosted glass side walls, I could make out a few blurry shapes on the other sides.

Tori opened a door in the wall and we entered the next room on the left.

"Hey Jackie! What's up, Tori?" Annabeth was sitting at a worktable with a sleek silver laptop that I mistook for a Mac. I looked around, and I realized that the room was a workshop of sorts; with tool storage cabinets, equipment and blueprints tacked up all over the place.

"So what brings you two here today?" Annabeth asked as Tori grabbed the stool across the table, motioning for me to sit next to her.

"I'm here to bring Jackie to her new cabin." Tori said pointedly.

A line furrowed between Annabeth's brow. She quietly closed her computer and slipped off her reading glasses. "What? Are you saying she's a child of Athena?"

Tori nodded her confirmation.

"That's impossible." Annabeth pronounced.

I was starting to feel a bit confused.

"Well, then explain how _this_ got delivered to her at breakfast by an owl." Tori slipped the olive branch out of my duffel bag.

Annabeth took the branch and held it up in the light to examine. "What . . .? No. This couldn't be."

Tori pulled out a black Zippo lighter - which looked suspiciously like James', it had the same skull-and-crossbones design and everything - and brought it to the branch.

Annabeth got up and tested the flame in the workshop sink. "It _is,_ then." She concluded as she sat back down. "It's an eternal flame. Which means you got this from my mother."

"_My_ mother too." I reminded.

Annabeth frowned. "That's so odd . . ."

"What is?" I prompted.

"Well, you see . . ." Annabeth explained. "The children of Athena are born in a rather unusually way. We're developed in her mind, instead of her womb, and the delivery is very different that the usual method. So all of Athena's children are claimed right when they're born." Annabeth scratched her head. "I don't think Athena's _ever _waited this long to claim one of her kids."

This was _really_ not making me feel better.

"Um . . ." I said, not sure what to say. "That's weird."

Annabeth shrugged. "Whatever. The fact is you're here now and you're here to stay. C'mon, then, let's get you settled in."

"Do you guys have an extra bed? You know, since you weren't expecting me . . ." I asked worriedly, following her and Tori back to the door.

"Knowing my mom, she'll have already sent down bed for you in the main cabin." We walked into the bedroom and Annabeth gestured towards a bed right next to the back window. "Point proven."

I set my stuff down, carefully tucking my olive branch in my bag. "I'll unpack later. I've got to get down to the lake."

"Looking forward to canoeing?" Tori elbowed me.

"Maybe." I shrugged.

We were about to head out the front door when I looked back. "Annabeth?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea _why_ I've been claimed so late?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I have no idea. But, hey, you're claimed now - nothing else matters, right?"

"Right." I nodded, faking a smile.

But she was wrong. It _did_ matter to me why I hadn't been claimed like the rest of Athena's children.

It mattered that the rest of my siblings had had each other for company for all these years, while I had been left alone, by myself, utterly lost in the world, without love, and without a family.

* * *

"Let's warm up with a few laps across the lake. Two to a canoe! If you'll all pair up and stand in front of one of the boats with your partner, we can lift anchor." Chiron trotted up and down the pier.

"Jackie!" Kasey called, fishing for a partner.

"Sorry!" I said apologetically. "I'm paired up with Tatiana."

She looked over at Jessica hopefully. "Jess?"

"I'm with James, sorry!"

"Where's Lizzy?" Kasey looked around.

"I'm with Tori." Lizzy called.

"Wait, that means I have to . . ." I heard Kasey groan and mutter under her breath. "."

"Ms. Tydall!" Chiron trotted over to Kasey. "It seems that you don't have a partner yet! Perfect, I'll put you and Ms. Rosenbloom together."

Kasey turned to me, her face masked in horror. "_Damn_." She mouthed. Then she turned back to Chiron. "Oh sure, that'd be no problem." She said sweetly.

"Alright!" Chiron clapped his hands. "Time to get on board!"

As Tati and I stepped into the rocking boat, we couldn't help but giggle at Kasey and Mackenzie.

"You mean - I actually have to get in the boat? But . . . .it's so small! It won't take our weight!"

"Mackenzie . . . ."

"What if we tip over? What if there's a hole in the boat?"

"Ma_ckenzie_ . . . ."

" Oh _no_, I'm too young to die! "

"_Mackenzie_ . . . ." Kasey gritted her teeth.

"And if we drown, _boy_, my hair's going to look ugly at my funeral!"

"Just get in the damn boat, will you?" Kasey hissed.

"_Well!_" Mackenzie gingerly stepped into the boat. "Language!"

"And cast away!" Chiron called out, trumpeting his Minotaur horn.

Tatiana and I picked up our paddles and slowly but surely made distance between us and the pier. The mild waves of the lake lapped up against the wood of the canoe.

I looked over to see Mackenzie and Kasey, still bickering loudly. "Ohmygosh, Kasey, I swear, if you paddle any faster . . . ."

"Any _faster_? We're going, like, the slowest!"

"The wind's messing up my hair!" Mackenzie adjusted a few of her barrettes. "Oh, where'd it fall?" She stood up to look around, momentarily forgetting that she was on a small boat that could easily tip.

"MACKENZIE!" Kasey yelled. "SIT _DOWN_!"

But it was too late. The boat tipped over precariously. Mackenzie flailed her arms, shrieked, then fell backwards and disappeared with a splash and a spray of water. Kasey tumbled right after, muttering a stream of profanities.

"Great Poseidon . . ."I said worriedly. They had both gone under. Tatiana and I started paddling our way to their overturned boat.

I almost had a heart attack when a stream of water suddenly shot out of the lake, just a few feet away from our boat. "What in the world . . . ?"

The stream knocked the overturned canoe right-side-up. Mackenzie and Kasey resurfaced, carried up by the force of the water, and were tossed back into the canoe.

"Okay, that was _nothing_ like the rides at SeaWorld!" Mackenzie cried out shakily, sopping wet. Her curls were drenched. She clung on tight to the sides of the boat, since it was still rocking from the waves caused by the disturbance.

Kasey, who, surprisingly, was completely dry, rolled her eyes. "Next time, _think_ before you _do_."

Another wave lapped against the boat, splashing into the canoe. I could hear a dull _thud_ as an object hit the bottom of the boat.

Mackenzie shrieked. "What _is_ that?"

Kasey bent down and held up something that looked like a black rock. "It's just an oyster, Stupid Cupid."

Tati and I pulled up next to their canoe. "Open it." I suggested.

Kasey cracked it open. A perfectly rounded blue-tinted pearl sat inside. Kasey pulled it out of its bed, surprised to see a silver chain attached to it.

"It's a necklace!" Mackenzie sounded surprised.

"No kidding." Kasey examined the necklace curiously. "I'm guessing this means I've been claimed?"

"By Poseidon, no doubt." Tatiana smiled. "Hey, was it _you_ who did that back there?" She asked, referring to the jet stream.

"Funny enough, I think so." Kasey said slowly. "I mean, this is going to sound really weird, but it was like I _told_ the water what I wanted it to do. And it just did."

"Are you going to put the necklace on?" Mackenzie asked impatiently.

"No way!" Kasey looked at Mackenzie like she was crazy. "I have no idea what this necklace is supposed to be used for. It could be a noose, for all I know! I've got to go ask Chiron what this thing does. I don't want to put it on and accidentally slit my throat."

"Don't remind me about slitting throats." I muttered.

"You'd better ask Chiron later." Tatiana advised. "He's going to start the race soon."

Kasey slipped the necklace in her shorts pocket, and we paddled back to the pier.

"Oy, what was _that_ back there?" James confronted us as we docked.

"Kasey's been recognized. Poseidon." I explained simply.

Jessica groaned. "Looks like it's just you and me, James."

Chiron blew his horn once more. We all grouped into our cabins. Kasey stuck with the Hermes cabin. To my chagrin, Nico tagged along with the Athena cabin. Great. Another encounter with the Sodding Ghost King. _Why_ couldn't we have gotten Percy instead? He would've been _so_ much more useful - not to mention a good source of eye candy. But of course, Percy _would_ be absent during a canoe race.

"It's each cabin for their own." Chiron instructed. "The race is a relay. Two cabinmates for each run. Arrange your lineup, and start on the blow of the horn."

A boy who I thought was named Malcolm called everyone to a huddle.

"Where's Annabeth?" A redheaded girl voiced. As the cabin counselor, they must've been used to having Annabeth as their leader.

"She's working on something important." Malcolm explained. "So we're just going to have to make do without her."

We figured out who was going to be partnered with who, and the order. Unfortunately, this somehow ended up with me being paired up with Nico. I know, right? This world really isn't fair. Malcolm kindly explained that it was because Nico was an experienced rower, and I was a newbie, so we were supposed to balance each other out. But it still didn't make either of us any happier.

Chiron blew the horn, and we kicked off our race with our starters, the redheaded girl named Amanda Sliver and a guy named Brad Tinsley. The Nike cabin was taking the lead - Anne Swift was a fearsome rower.

By the time Nico and I were up, Athena was pretty behind. The Apollo kids were inching forward.

As soon as the canoe docked on the pier, I hopped in after Nico, and we were off.

"Can you row any faster?" He snapped.

"I'm trying!" I flushed. "Aren't _you_ supposed to be the expert on canoeing? You don't seem very skilled."

"Maybe I'd perform better if I wasn't _injured_." Nico glowered.

"Oh, boo-hoo. You've got a bruise. Do you need Tatiana to kiss it?" I mocked. "For Zeus' sake, you slit my throat, and you don't hear me complaining!"

"You _are_ complaining. As of now." He glared at me.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, staring at him dead-on.

"What - cut your neck? Because you wouldn't fight!"

"I told you, I didn't want to!"

"You were scared."

"Yeah, so?' I said defensively. "That's my problem, not yours."

"_Somebody's_ got to teach you that a demigod can't afford to be scared."

"Yeah, you're a great teacher alright." I scoffed. "You end up with a bruise on your arm and permanently injured genitals, while I walk away virtually injury-free."

Nico turned red. "Just shut up and row, will you? If you didn't notice, we're rather behind."

As you've seen before, anger accelerates my performance. I guess it was the same case for Nico. This came to our advantage because we were both pretty pissed off at the moment, and it acted like a dual engine. By the time Nico and I docked, we'd pulled ahead of Nemesis and Demeter, and were neck to neck with Apollo.

However, when Chiron blew his final horn, the Nike cabin came out victorious, and Athena came in third. _Not too bad_, I thought, but the rest of my cabinmates were still sour. Jeez, talk about overachievers.

Mackenzie was still sopping wet from her dip in the lake, and her mood wasn't made any better when Nico observed, "Wow, your hair looks like Ramen noodles!"

Not the best pickup line, let me advise you. Let's just say Nico walked away with yet another injury to account for.

I looked around for Kasey, and I found her off talking with some cute Apollo kid. Oh, _great_. Who knew how long _this_ could take.I caught her eye and jerked my head towards Chiron, who was heading off towards the Big House, to remind her about the necklace. Kasey nodded, broke off her conversation after what seemed like a million years later, and then we started heading after Chiron. Tati, James, Jess, Lizzy, and Mackenzie tagged along.

"Where're we going, anyways?" Lizzy asked as we trudged past the climbing wall.

"Kasey got claimed by Poseidon, she got a pearl necklace thing, and we're going to see Chiron to ask what the necklace does." Tati summarized.

When we knocked on the door of the Big House, though, no one answered.

"How queer." James remarked, then proceeded to push the door open. Finding it unlocked, we walked in.

"I wonder where they -" Mackenzie started to say.

"Shhh!" I said, pointing down a hallway. I could hear voices coming from inside.

We walked quietly to the last door on the left. It was slightly open. I recognized Chiron's voice, and we all leaned in. Through the crack, I could see Chiron speaking to Percy.

". . . we don't know for sure."

"Pardon me, but I don't think it's a lucky coincidence that there just so happens to be _seven -_" I recognized Annabeth's voice.

"Annabeth, let's not jump to conclusions." Commented another female voice I didn't recognize.

"It's hard not to." Percy voiced. "I mean, once you see them, Rachel . . ."

"They all come from the same school!" Annabeth said, exasperated.

It dawned on me: they were talking about _us_. Why? I glanced over at everyone else, and they were as puzzled as I was.

"I've seen them in action at the dueling arena yesterday." Percy said. "They're not in bad shape, for newbies."

"And that kid this morning -"

"Oh, Zeus, I thought that shuriken was going to slice my ear off."

I shot a glance at James.

"Seaweed Brain, you're invincible, remember?" I could practically hear Annabeth roll her eyes.

"_Still_ . . . ."

"But seriously, Chiron, it's pretty darn obvious these are the kids we're looking for. It's been two years already; it's about time."

"You're suspicious about them, too!" Percy accused. "Don't tell me you haven't had thoughts about it."

"Percy, there are so many ways to interpret the meaning -" Chiron sighed.

_Meaning of what?_

"Rachel will know what to make of the meaning." Annabeth said.

"Well, I'll have to meet them." The voice named Rachel said.

"You'll see them sooner than you think." Chiron stated. "In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I believe all seven of them are standing outside the door as of this moment."

We all instinctively jumped back at the shock of being discovered. We heard the clopping of hooves against wood, and moments later, the door creaked open.

"Ah. Well, it's nice to see you all again." Chiron said pleasantly, and motioned for us to follow him inside. We found ourselves in a well-furnished sitting room with a large bay window facing the lake. Percy and Annabeth were sitting on the loveseat, and another girl their age was occupying an armchair. She had freckles, a pale complexion, and flaming red hair that was ten times as red as Amanda Sliver's. Her haunting green eyes watched us curiously.

"Have a seat, won't you?" Chiron motioned towards the sofa.

Lizzy was the first one to talk. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Annabeth said quickly, covering it up with a smile. But _we _knew that _they_ clearly knew that _we_ knew they were hiding something.

An awkward silence ensued.

"So . . . ." James said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I've been so rude!" Chiron exclaimed. "I forgot to introduce you to our dear friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She's just arrived this afternoon." He gestured towards the redheaded girl. "Rachel, this is Jessica, Lizzy, Jackie, Kasey, James, Tatiana, and Mackenzie." We nodded in acknowledgement at our names.

Rachel gave a slight tilt of the head. "Hi." As she looked at us with those piercing eyes, I got the strange feeling that I was being put under an X-ray.

"So what cabin are you in?" Mackenzie asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"Oh, I'm not a demigod." Rachel smiled softly.

"Oh . . ." Mackenzie trailed off, a bit confused.

"I assume you kids are up here to talk to me about something?" Chiron diverted the conversation.

"Oh, yeah!" Kasey's eyes brightened as she remembered the whole reason we were standing here. "Today at the canoeing lake -"

"Yes, I witnessed the little incident." Chiron gave a small smile. "I assume you've figured out who your father is?"

"Yes." Kasey nodded. "But I haven't figured out what _this_ does." Kasey pulled the necklace out of her pocket, and dropped it into Chiron's receiving palm.

Chiron rolled the pearl around between his fingers for a few moments, examined it, then returned it to Kasey.

"It seems your father has given you a very useful tool."

"Is it a weapon?" Kasey asked eagerly.

"It _can_ be." Chiron went on to explain. "This pearl is a very versatile object. Bury it into the dry ground of the Sahara, and it will create a spring. Place it in water, and it can start tidal waves strong enough to take out the whole of California. Give it to a friend, and it will enable them to breathe underwater. _You_ won't need it, though, you already possess the ability. It has a million other abilities, of course, these are just a few."

"It won't - stab me in the neck if I wear it, right?" Kasey asked warily.

"Erm . . . ." Chiron frowned.

"Or strangle me?"

"Strangle the owner? Not to my knowledge . . . ."

"Cool." Kasey took the necklace back and hooked it around her neck. "I still want a trident, though."

"Wait!" Percy suddenly jumped up. "That means - this means you're a daughter of Poseidon!"

"No kidding." Kasey rolled her eyes.

"You never told me I had a sister, Dad!" Percy looked up at the ceiling.

"This isn't right." Annabeth murmured.

"I _know_! I can't believe I have to share my bathroom, now!" Percy grumbled, plopping back down in the couch.

"You _Seaweed Brain_!" Annabeth smacked him. "I _meant_ it wasn't right because it's another violation of the Big Three pact!"

"Oh. Right, that too." Percy frowned.

"That is true. And it is very possible that there may still be many _other_ undiscovered violations of the pact as well." Chiron reminded.

"What pact?" I questioned.

"A few decades ago, the Big Three brothers, that is, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus, made a pact that they would no longer have any kids, because their demigod offspring were simply growing too powerful. As you see, this pact has been violated already, by all three of the gods." Chiron pointed to Percy. "Percy's living and breathing, obviously. Nico's existence speaks for the actions of Hades, and Zeus has a daughter named Thalia, who is currently a huntress of Artemis."

I nodded. "Yeah, a few of the Hermes kids told us about Thalia and her pine tree."

"Wait, so I'm _illegal_?" A line appeared between Kasey's brows.

"After the war between the Titans and the gods, the pact was dissolved, so it doesn't really matter anymore whether or not you're a violation." Annabeth reassured her.

"Oh. Okay, cool." Kasey shrugged.

"Percy, why don't you go with Kasey to get her things, then show her to her new cabin?"

"It's _my _cabin." Percy said darkly as he walked towards the door. "I get priority on the television."

"We have a television?" Kasey's eyes widened.

"No - _I_ have a television." Percy opened the door. "Which I get dibs on. Same with the bathrooms."

"Look, your whole bathroom plan is _not_ going to work for me here. First of all, I'm a girl -"

"Oh, _please_, don't play the 'girly' card on me. You can't scare me off with that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm invincible, for Poseidon's sake!"

"Oh, and because you're so high-and-mighty . . . ."

We heard them arguing all the way down the hall. Annabeth and Rachel shared a look. I just shook my head and sighed. Oh, brother. And sister.

* * *

"Why does Kasey always get the good stuff?" Mackenzie's eyes narrowed with envy as we were walking towards the dining pavilion for lunch.

Jessica sighed. "I know, right? What I would give to share a cabin with Percy Jackson . . . .She's so lucky."

"_What_?" James spluttered. "What do you guys mean by _lucky_? They're _siblings_ for Zeus' sake!"

Jessica shrugged. "You can look at the menu, but you don't have to order." She said nonchalantly. Tati and I looked, wide-eyed, at each other, and burst out into giggles.

"Jessica, you're _unbelievable!_" James huffed with indignation. "What - what's so great about that sod anyways?"

"He's cute, you've got to give him that." Mackenzie pointed out.

"Do _you_ think so?" James pointedly asked Jessica.

"Well, _yeah_." Jessica said in a _duh_ voice.

"Well, looks are all he's got." James muttered. "Besides, he's got a piece of skirt already."

He didn't talk any more for the rest of the way. I could tell he was in a rather sour mood.

* * *

At lunch, there was only one subject on everyone's lips: the huge Capture the Flag game planned for that evening._ So, demigods love it as much as regular kids do_, I thought to myself. A few things I gathered from my Athenian siblings: All magic items were allowed. There were two teams, red and blue. Other than perimeter boundaries, the game was relatively rule-free. Which translated to downright dangerous in Jackie-language.

The rest of the DISS gang decided to go down to the dueling arena to get some more practice before the game. Lizzy opted to practice with her double-headed axe (I was _not_ practicing with her), and the rest of us stopped by the armory to pick up some blades. Which was _so _unfair because Tatiana and Mackenzie were now doubly armed with blades.

We walked into the arena to find Tori practicing with Annabeth. Even though Tori had a huge advantage with her shape-shifting caduceus, Annabeth was giving her a run for her money.

"Hey, you guys!" Tori greeted us, not interrupting the combat.

"Hey!" We waved, then paired off to practice.

"Oy, who'm I supposed to duel with?" James asked indignantly as he found himself the odd one out.

"I'll take you up on the offer." And who would walk in, but Percy Jackson himself.

James' eyes hardened with determination. Clearly he hadn't gotten over the conversation before lunch. "Alright, Jackson. Let's see what you've got then."

We were all relatively surprised when Percy pulled out a bronze pen from his pocket.

"Oh, what're you going to do, drown me in ink?" James laughed mockingly.

"No . . ." Percy said, a bit surprised at James' sudden hostility. He uncapped the pen, and the blade of a bronze sword shot out. Oh! How clever . . .

I was the only one laughing.

"What am I missing?" Lizzy looked at me curiously.

"I have no idea." Tati said, confused.

"Don't you guys get it?" I asked.

"Get what?" James asked.

"The pen isn't mightier than the sword anymore, it _is_ the sword." I explained.

All I got was blank stares.

"Hello? _The pen is mightier than the sword?_ Ever heard the saying?" I said, starting to feel exasperated.

"It's an Athena thing." Annabeth called out as she was forcing Tori into a headlock.

"Oh. Ugh. Nerdy stuff." Mackenzie made a face, then turned to Jessica as they started their swordfight.

I turned to Kasey. "_En garde_?" I raised an eyebrow.

"_En garde_."

After my first trial in wielding a sword, I was a bit more confident in this whole dueling thing. Besides, I trusted my armor.

Kasey and I practiced jabbing, lunging, parrying, and disarming for a bit. We both did pretty well, if I do say so myself.

James was just taking out all his anger on Percy. He stabbed and blocked with pure hate in his eyes. It took all of my energy to keep me from busting out laughing. James _did_ realize he was battling an invincible demigod, right? Percy was going completely easy on James. His combat was almost lazy This clearly infuriated James even more.

"Alright, guys, I think that's quite enough." Annabeth said after we waited about an _hour_ for them to finish.

James tried to get one final blow below the belt, which Percy flicked away with the tip of his sword. "Better luck next time, squirt." Percy winked, then capped his pen and dropped it into his pocket.

Oh, poor James. You could practically see the steam pouring out of his ears.

* * *

The sky was overcast and an ominous gray as we headed down towards the forest.

"The stream is the boundary line between the red and blue territories. The entire forest is fair game. All of your weapons and magic items are allowed. Each team's banner must be displayed in plain sight, with no more than two guards who are standing outside of a ten-yard radius of the flag. No prisoners are to be bound or gagged, and no killing or maiming is allowed." Chiron finished up the list of rules. "Any questions?"

_No killing or maiming_? Yeah, that's real help.

Jessica raised her hand. "Will there be any monsters?"

Chiron laughed. "Of course! The forest is stocked chock-full with them."

_Oh. This is rich._

The cabins were divided into teams. Dionysus, Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, and Poseidon were on the Blue Team. Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Ares, and Hades (which means Nico) were on the Red Team.

And with a blow of Chiron's horn, we charged into the forest.

Annabeth was quick to devise a battle plan. Ares took the offensive. Hermes took the perimeters. Hephaestus and Athena were defense. And Nico could do whatever the hell he wanted.

I was stationed in a tree near where our flag sat wedged between two large boulders. So far, nothing had happened on this end of the forest.

After about five minutes, Percy burst through into the clearing. Seeing nobody present (we were all hidden) he wielded his sword warily. Smart guy. He must've known Annabeth really well.

"I know you're here!" He called out. "Come out!"

We didn't, of course.

Percy feinted for the flag, then jumped back, trying to tempt us into coming out. We didn't fall for it.

Suddenly, a wounded Amanda Sliver burst through the underbrush. "_You!_" She hissed, pointing a shaking finger at Percy. "_You_ were the one that sent your hellhound on us!"

Percy stepped back in surprise. "Mrs. O'Leary?" He said, confused. _Aha_! His guard was down . . . .

Amanda straightened up, showing she wasn't actually covered in blood at all - it was fresh-squeezed strawberry pulp. But boy, that girl could _act_. Before Percy could make a run for it, thirteen of us had surrounded him, and next thing he knew, he was taken prisoner.

"Dirty tricks, Wise Girl." Percy said as he passed his girlfriend.

"All's fair in love and war." She smirked, giving him a kiss before watching him being dragged off to jail.

We waited for a few minutes more, when a movement in the shadows caught my eye.

"Anna -" I started to warn, but then a giant, dark, shape emerged from the trees. It was a frightening sight. The creature looked like a mammoth black Labrador, with haunting red eyes.

"Hellhound!" Someone called out. "It's _huge!_"

"Is that Mrs. O'Leary?"

"No. . . .this is a genuine wild hellhound." Annabeth shivered. "I'd _much_ rather take on Mrs. O' Leary."

"Is this thing on steroids?"

The hellhound advanced on us slowly. Someone shot an arrow at it, but the immense shape simply shook it off.

"Uh-oh. . . ."

The hellhound backed the guard forces up. Annabeth made an attempt to stab it with her dagger, only to narrowly miss being crushed by its paw.

"Sweet Hades . . . ."I murmured.

"What the bloody hell is that?" James breathed, appearing besides me.

"James! What're you doing?" I hissed, steadily backing up as the hellhound continued cornering us into a line of trees. "You're supposed to be on perimeter!"

"I had a feeling you guys might need some help. . ." James said, glancing up at the hellhound. "Massive, that thing, isn't it?"

"Uh, really?" I said, my voice starting to shake as one of our cabinmates got trampled to the ground.

The hellhound roared, leaping forward. A series of yells and gasps came from our teammates as we scrambled backwards as fast as possible. James, however, was glued in place.

"James!" I warned, trying to pull on his orange shirt sleeve. He didn't move as the shadow of the great dog inched upon him, so I gave up and ran for cover. If that kid was suicidal, I sure as hell wasn't going down with him.

James was now the only standing demigod in the clearing. He looked straight up to meet the eyes of the beast, his knees trembling a bit. I could see pure, raw, fear in his eyes, but the kid was clearly determined to stand his ground. Which is admirable for a first encounter with a monster of this proportion, but not necessarily the smart thing to do.

For what seemed like many daylights, the dog and the boy both didn't move an inch. Everything was still, excepting the ominous rumble of a distant thunder.

Then the hellhound let out a deep, rumbling, growl that sent tremors through the earth beneath my feet, and it bared its horrid teeth that were yellow and as sharp as daggers.

_Great gods, if James dies now . . . ._

James acted instinctively, quickly plunging his long iron sword into the paw of the hellhound. We all witnessed the scene in shock as the hellhound started melting into black wisps of shadow. I noticed the shadows began to form shape. Moments later, a dark black scythe materialized out of the shadows and dropped with a _clang_ at James' feet.

"Good gods!" James cried out in shock, then bent down to pick the scythe up. "What's this?'

Annabeth slowly came out from behind a tree. "That's a scythe made with a Stygian iron blade - rare iron forged in the River Styx. This is how Hades has recognized you as his son."

"I'm a son of the god of death?" James whooped. "Now _that's_ an accomplishment."

"Who's the son of the god of death?" Nico emerged.

"Well, that would be me." James wielded his new Grim Reaper toy.

"I've got a bro? That's way too cool!" Nico grinned, promptly giving James a man-hug. "I _knew_ there was something I liked about your style."

"Yeah? I can't wait to see our cabin."

"It's _wicked_. We've got this spirit-summoning pit and -"

"GET HER!" Annabeth suddenly shrieked, pointing towards a fleeting blue figure running off in the distance, clearly heading in the direction of our jail.

Bad decision. Since Annabeth had not specified as to _who_ should run after the intruder, all of us did - leaving the red flag virtually unguarded. Just then, a hidden troop of blue team demigods swarmed into the clearing before we could stop them, and one of them must've grabbed the flag because after they cleared, the flag had disappeared. I could've sworn Jessica had been in the midst of them . . .

"AFTER THEM!" Annabeth commanded, and all of us abandoned the chase of the jailbreaker in order to turn around and chase after the flag.

Annabeth groaned. "Jackie, Nico, James, you're sticking with me." She instructed before we could run off. "We've still got a jailbreaker to catch, remember?"

The four of us rushed towards the northeast corner of the forest, where our jail was located. We arrived just to see Kasey cross the line into the jail.

"What're _you_ doing here?" Percy asked in surprised as his sister entered.

"I'm coming to save you, you dimwit!" Kasey retorted.

"I don't need your saving!" He scoffed.

There was a wet _plop_ on my forehead. A light drizzle had started.

"Then how _else_ do you plan on getting out of here?" Kasey grabbed his elbow. "C'mon, let's blow this popsicle stand."

"Oh, you go right on ahead." Nico said menacingly as the four of us closed in.

Kasey eyed him for a moment, then whispered a few words to Percy. He nodded slowly, took her hand, then they both looked up to the skies.

Oh. Crap. A quick math equation flowed through my head.

Rain = Water. Water + (Kids of Poseidon) ≠ (Good News for Us)

"Aghh!" I shrieked as we were suddenly caught in a blinding torrent of rain. Water encircled us at a blinding pace, forming a virtual cocoon that was impossible to penetrate.

"This is a blooming tempest!" James yelped.

I thought I could hear someone faintly calling my name, but it was impossible to determine through the growing roar of the water.

"JACKIE!" Annabeth screamed.

"WHAT?"

"YOUR TORCH!"

"IT'S NOT LIT!" I said, pulling out the olive branch from my pocket. I hadn't thought I would need it, but I brought it along anyways because it was the only magic item I owned.

There was a snap of fingers and Nico lit the torch. I touched the torch to the moving wall of water that wrapped around us, and the cocoon instantly fell apart, leaving us, drenched, back again in the middle of a small, calm, drizzle.

I looked over at the jail. It was too late. Percy and Kasey had disappeared.

Just then, an Iris message appeared in the drizzle. "Annabeth. . ." An exhausted Malcolm Kinsley appeared on the mist-screen. He looked like he had given up.

"What is it?"Annabeth snapped.

Even before Malcolm said anything, I knew. I knew we'd lost.

* * *

"First timer's luck." James grumbled as we shed our armor.

"Sore loser." Jessica gloated, waving the red flag - her trophy for successfully capturing it - in his face.

"You had Nike on your side, for goodness sake!" James exclaimed. "They always win!"

"Oh please, excuses, excuses, Death Head." Jessica had witnessed the whole "claiming" episode from her hidden vantage point in the woods. "I could beat you in anything."

"Yeah?" James challenged.

"Yeah. I'll race you over that hill." Jessica smirked as we walked outside into the rain.

"You're on, bint."

This should be interesting.

"Ready . . . Get Set . . . . .GO!" Jessica sprinted off before James could gather his bearings.

"HEY!" James yelled after her, then started his way up at a horrible disadvantage. The rest of us giggled as we walked behind them, watching James desperately try to catch up.

I looked up at the sky as an ominous roll of thunder sounded from the distance, and the sky darkened a bit - or was that my imagination? I suddenly got this nagging feeling in the back of my head . . . .

And then, right when Jessica reached the crest of the hill, it happened.

A huge white bolt of lightning struck the ground. Right on the very spot where she was standing.


	10. The Suspicions

_"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge . . . ."_

_-1 Corinthians 13:2, King James _

All was still for what could've been years or mere milliseconds. The air rippled with static tension -

_CRACK._

We screamed. The loud crack of thunder instantly brought us back to our senses. I blinked, my eyes still spotted with black and blue from the intensity of the bolt's light.

I had _not _just seen my best friend get struck by a bolt of lightning.

"_Jessica!_" James bellowed, deathly pale, darting up the hill. "_JESSICA!_"

So I _had_ seen it happen. Great day, wasn't it? First we epically lose a match of Capture the Flag, and then my friend gets electrified with about a million volts of lightning. Being a demigod certainly kept things interesting.

We ran up the hill after James, and found him kneeling next to Jessica, who was lying was out cold on the grass.

"Holy shit, Jess." James breathed, lines of worry crossing his face.

"Great gods. . . ." Tatiana paled as she squatted down next to Jessica. She touched Jessica's forehead, then jerked her hand away. "Ouch! It _burns_."

"She's blinked!" James exclaimed. Sure enough, Jessica's lashes fluttered open, and her familiar storm-gray eyes wandered over our concerned faces. I examined her for major injuries, but besides appearing a bit shaken, she looked perfectly healthy.

"Jessica! Are you okay?" Tati asked worriedly.

"I'm fine . . ." Jessica said uncertainly. She sat up, looked around, and blinked. "Actually, I feel great!"

"What's happened?" I heard the now-familiar sound of heavy hooves against grass. We all turned to see Chiron galloping up the hill towards us, followed by a panicked-looking Annabeth, Tori, and Percy. "Are all of you alright?"

"We're fine. Physically." I reassured him as he approached. "But my _mind_ is completely fried."

"_You're_ one to talk about being fried." Lizzy remarked.

By now a crowd was gathering. Murmurs rippled through the group.

"What in Hades is going on?" Michael Yew voiced.

"Did that girl just get hit by lightning . . . .or was it just me?" Delaney Stardust asked, confused.

"It _so_ wasn't just you." Michelle Arbitram stared, wide-eyed, at Jessica.

"Are you okay?" Alex Solstice yelled.

"Who got hurt?" Katie Gardner questioned.

"Ms. Bolten, are you positive you're alright?" Chiron asked skeptically.

Jessica rose to her feet. "Yeah. I feel _better_, actually."

"Better?" Percy asked, confused. "Better . . . .how?"

Jessica shrugged. "Like - like I've just had three cans of Red Bull."

"Really?" Annabeth wrinkled her eyebrows.

"Yeah." Jess bounced on the balls of her feet. "Hey, Death Head, I'm definitely up to continue our race."

"No thanks . . ." James declined.

Chiron frowned. "I believe that was the third violation of the Big Three Pact we've witnessed in one day." He sighed. "Oh, these are strange days indeed. Speaking of, Nico!" Chiron's eyes twinkled over towards a certain son of Hades who was pushing his way past the small crowd. "Care to show your new brother to his home?"

Nico jerked his head over to James. "Hey bro, let's blow this popsicle stand."

James shot one last concerned look at Jessica, then turned to follow his half-brother.

" And Tori, will you please show Jessica to her new cabin?" Chiron asked politely.

Tori looked at Chiron curiously. "And which cabin would that be . . . .?"

"Oh, Cabin Number One, of course." Chiron said briskly, turning away with a swish of his horse tail.

* * *

Cabin Number One was a huge monstrosity of a cabin. The creamy marble spectacle was inset with a gleaming pair of golden double doors that displayed lightning-bolt holographs when the light hit it.

Inside was even better. Cabin Number One had two stories, and a sweeping spiral staircase dominated the foyer. Yep, the cabin was fancy enough to have its own marble foyer. And Jessica got to have all this gilded, extravagant richness to herself. All 10,000 square feet of it.

Downstairs was an entertainment room on the left and a sitting room on the right. Upstairs were the bedrooms, bathrooms, and study. The study, unlike the academic and studious library in the Athena cabin, was more of a laboratory. There were batteries and tornado chambers and wires aplenty. Packages of unopened lightbulbs were stack in cabinets. Weather charts and cloud classification posters were stuck all over the walls. A mounted flat-screen on the wall was gridded with screenshots of nine different live weather reports - from nine different countries.

"It looks like a high school Earth Science classroom." I observed as I passed by the doorway.

The immense bedroom was larger than the one in the Hermes cabin, yet it was dominated by a lone four-poster bed, placed against the far wall. The bed was so large, I swear it could've comfortably fit all seven of us. The golden canopy curtains were pulled back with thick tassels, revealing a mountain of golden pillows piled at the head.

"You spoiled child." I said enviously.

Jessica smiled smugly. "Guess I got lucky."

We walked the long length down the room towards the bed, the glossy wood floor creaking beneath our shoes. I glanced out of the immense bay windows as we passed. Jessica truly was blessed. The room gave an amazing view of the ocean, which was now twinkling with the rosy rays of the sunset.

Jessica dropped her bag at the foot of her bed and began to unpack, while me and Tori simultaneously collapsed on the bed. It was the softest thing I've ever felt . . . .almost as if it was made of clouds. Then I remembered that it might actually _be_ made of clouds.

"Hey!" Jessica laughed, mocking annoyance. "Get off my bed!"

"Ugh." I rolled my eyes. "I'm never getting up. Your bed is like heaven."

"True that." Tori seconded.

_WHAP!_ Something soft and fluffy hit my face. I looked up in surprise to see Jessica brandishing a large pillow.

"Off the bed." She said firmly.

"Two can play a game." I said, sitting up. I snatched up the nearest cushion and managed to clip Jessica's shoulder before she snatched the pillow out of my hand.

"Correction: _Three _can play a game." Tori pelted a small square pillow at Jessica.

Jessica caught the pillow and leaned over, smacking Tori on the stomach. I took the chance to give her a nice bonk on the head, turning it into an all-out pillow fight.

It was like the old days again. Forget the Greek gods, forget the monsters, forget everything. For those few moments, we were just three normal girls again, having fun and enjoying life.

I was certain feathers were going to start flying when Jessica suddenly stopped, spacing out. Her arm, which had been hoisting a rather large pillow, fell limp.

"Jess?" She didn't respond. "Jessie, what's wrong?" Tori asked, concerned.

I stood, and looked off into the direction Jessica was staring at. Outside the window, everything seemed normal. Campers were milling about around the dining pavilion, celebrating a good game of Capture the Flag and preparing for dinner. I couldn't seem to place what she was entranced with.

Jessica moved slowly towards the large bay window, dropping her pillow. "Who's that girl down there?" She asked, her voice hollow.

"Who?" I moved next to her.

"That one. The one talking to James?" She pointed. I saw the familiar dark figure, apparently holding a conversation with a skinny blonde girl.

"I have no idea." I shrugged, turning away.

Tori slid off the bed to take a look. "Oh, her? That's Luna Logan. She's in the Aphrodite cabin."

Jessica stiffened. "Oh. Okay." She turned from the window and went back to silently unpacking. Tori and I shared a look, but we didn't say anything.

After a few minutes in silence, I was about to suggest that Tori and I leave Jess to settle in, when somebody knocked on the door.

"Come in." Jessica answered.

The bedroom door opened up a crack, and James' head appeared. "Hey, you three, Chiron told me to come fetch you guys. He wants to talk to us in the Big House."

"We'll go in just a minute." Jessica said curtly.

"Oh. Alright then, I'll wait." James stepped into the room and looked around. "Nice place, by the way."

Jessica slammed her trunk shut. "We can find our own way to the Big House, thank you very much. Why don't you just go back down to attend to your lovely new friends and not worry about our business?" Jessica snapped.

"Oh-kay then . . ." James said uncertainly. He backed out of the room and left.

"Boys." Jessica huffed bitterly.

* * *

"Ah, Jessica, Jackie, and Tori. I'm glad you're here." Chiron greeted us as we walked in the door of the sitting room. I found the other five sitting on the couch, and Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel were present once more.

"Hey." Jessica acknowledged. "So, what's up?" We seated ourselves on floor cushions.

"We've been meaning to talk to you guys for a while." Chiron looked at the three older kids, then cleared his throat. "If you remember, this morning, when you were coming to ask me about Ms. Tydall's necklace," Chiron gestured towards Kasey, "You overheard a rather intriguing conversation between myself, Mr. Jackson, and Misses Chase and Dare."

"What conversation?" Tori was confused.

"They were talking about us." Lizzy cut quick to the chase. "We smart enough to figure _that_ out."

Chiron nodded. "Yes. So we were."

Tatiana frowned. "What were you guys saying about not jumping to conclusions and all that? What conclusions?"

"You see . . ." Chiron paced slowly around the room, his tail swinging behind him. "Tori and I have had growing - ah - theories about the seven of you for a time while she acted as your protector in Florida. When you first arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Percy and Annabeth also came to develop similar suspicions about you."

"What suspicions?" I was utterly bemused. "And what - what _arouses_ these suspicions?" We weren't doing anything bad, were we? Did they suspect that we were secretly terrorists or something? Did we give off the impression that we were secret assassins? My imagination flashed through a series of frightening thoughts.

Chiron chuckled. "Perhaps I've abused the word _suspicions_. What I mean is, using what we've gathered from observing you so far, we took the liberty to make a few conjectures about the roles you will play as demigods."

_Now_ I was completely lost. My confusion was reflected on six other pairs of eyes.

Annabeth spoke up. "If you're familiar with Greek mythology, you'd understand that the concept of prophesy is often put into play in many ancient legends and myths - pardon - stories."

"Prophesy as in . . . . future-telling?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, sort of. It's when a prediction is made about the fate of something or some_one_. Often prophesies involve a quest or journey a hero has to make to protect or earn something." Annabeth explained.

"Right." Tatiana nodded, her eyes gleaming with interest. Remember, she was really into the whole spiritual thing. You know, feng shui, tarot, astrology, prophesy.

"Sometimes the demigods at Camp Half-Blood get called away on quests. Usually just minor quests of course; nothing compared to the Greek legends and lore or Hercules and Perseus. It's mostly just running an errand for their parents, really."

"But," Percy took over, "Then there's the Great Prophecy. The Prophecy always predicts events that will occur during a pivotal time in Olympia and the outcome of the Prophecy always has an unimaginable impact on the world. The Prophecy is always renewed after the previous one is fulfilled. But it doesn't occur often, mind you. The Great Prophecy may take _decades_ to unfold and fulfill, and involve very difficult journeys."

"Like the one that was about you." I remembered.

Percy nodded, sharing a glance with Annabeth.

"Ohhkay." Kasey shrugged. "And you're telling us all this prophesying stuff because. . . .?"

Chiron flicked his tail uneasily. "Two summers ago, the last Great Prophecy was fulfilled. As the summer came to a close, our very own Oracle delivered the _new_ Great Prophecy, which Percy and Annabeth witnessed."

"And?" Lizzy prompted.

"Well." Chiron cleared his throat. "It appears that the prophecy is about the seven of _you_."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's so short! I will try to follow up ASAP.


	11. The Prophecy and the Mother

_"A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,  
__it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking"_

_-Helen Rice_

"Some bullshitter wrote a prophecy about _us_?" James looked doubtful.

Rachel cringed, and Annabeth frowned. "That's not exactly how I would put it . . . ."

"I'm sorry, but would you please tell us again _what_ makes you all so certain that _we're_ the ones that they're talking about in the prophecy?" Kasey asked.

"Well, you'll have to hear the prophecy for yourself." Chiron's eyes twinkled.

"So . . . . .where is this so-called prophecy supposed to be?" Lizzy's voice dripped with sarcasm as she looked over the room. "Just - you know, lying around somewhere?"

"You ask the Oracle about the prophecy, of course." Tori stated, as if it were obvious.

"Okay, can someone explain what this all-seeing 'Oracle' is?" Lizzy made air-quotes.

"Not what, _who._" Percy smirked knowingly, as if he was keeping some sort of secret.

"Alright, _who_ is this Oracle?" Lizzy was getting exasperated.

"Me." A quiet voice answered from the armchair.

We all stared at Rachel. I'd almost forgotten she was there; she hadn't said a single word so far during the whole conversation.

"_You're_ -" Jessica choked. "You're the Oracle . . . . .?" We all looked at Rachel like she was nuts.

Rachel stood. "Do you have a question to ask me?"

"Uhm." The seven of us had no freaking idea of what the hell we were supposed to do. I was still trying to let the fact that Rachel was the Oracle sink in.

"Just ask for your prophecy." Percy instructed.

"Can we hear our prophecy . . . . . .?" Jessica asked uncertainly, shooting confused glances at the rest of us.

Eleven pairs of eyes were now glued on Rachel Elizabeth Dare. For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then, to my astonishment, Rachel's eyes glowed – literally _glowed_ – and she fell into a trance. Rachel/Oracle opened her mouth to speak. I felt shivers run down my back as she uttered the words.

"_Seven half-bloods will answer the call._

_To storm or fire, the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath,_

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."_

With a shudder and a sigh, Rachel's eyes dulled to their normal condition.

"I never get used to that." Rachel shivered as she sat back down.

"Could – could you repeat that again?" Mackenzie asked, blinking in confusion.

"Seven half-bloods will answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall, an oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the doors of death." Tatiana recited word for word.

I grabbed a nearby pen lying on the table and quickly scribbled the four lines down on a legal pad before we could forget.

Kasey looked over my shoulder. "Well, we've obviously got the 'seven half-bloods' part down."

"I guess there is a _possibility_ the prophecy is referring to us." James admitted.

"No." Annabeth stepped forward.

"No _what_?" Jessica asked.

"It's not a _possibility_. Now, we've confirmed for _sure_ the prophecy refers to the seven of you." Annabeth went on to explain. "The prophecy will only reveal itself upon the request of the hero or heroes of the prophecy."

"We're not heroes!" I protested. "We didn't even know we were _demigods_ until yesterday!"

"According to the prophecy, you are." Annabeth pointed out.

"And if you aren't, the whole world is doomed. I mean, this is the _Great Prophecy_ we're talking about here." Percy emphasized. "It's kind of crucial that you pull this through. Or else it'll result in the apocalypse – or worse."

My advice: never go to Percy Jackson in search of comfort or encouragement.

* * *

I groaned. "I have no idea what to do." My forehead thudded against the table.

Annabeth patted my back in an attempt to comfort me. "Trust me, I felt the same way when Percy and I first got our quest."

"But, where are we supposed to start? Where are we supposed to go? I don't even know what the hell the prophecy is talking about, for Zeus' sake!" Panic rose in my throat. "How're we supposed to complete the quest when we have nothing - and I mean NOTHING to guide us?"

"Don't worry." Annabeth coaxed. "Something will eventually signal the beginning of your quest and show you the way."

"How _long_ are we going to have to wait for this "signal"?" I asked impatiently. "What if we've already received the signal and we missed it on accident?"

"Oh, Jackie." Annabeth sighed and smiled at me. "Just trust me. Trust _yourself._"

"Hey, Owl Children." I raised my head to see Lizzie plop down in the seat in front of me.

I stared. "Since when did you start wearing earrings like _that_?" I said, pointing out the pair of interesting curved silver pieces Lizzy had donned in place of her usual spiky black studs.

"Oh, those ugly things?" Mackenzie flipped her hair as she sat down. "That's Lizzy's axe, FYI."

"Excuse me?" I reeled back, startled.

Lizzy held up a finger to signal me to wait a second as she unclipped her earrings. She held each piece in one hand, then brought them together. The two pieces clicked in place, and I realized that each piece was one blade of the double-headed axe. The silver halves grew, and the axe handle extended from the bottom, and the weapon morphed into its true form in a matter of seconds.

"Way cool." I observed.

"Personally. I think earrings are a bit inconvenient." Lizzy grumbled. "I'll go stop by the Hephaestus cabin later to see if they can do something about it."

"C'mon, earrings are neat." I reasoned.

"Oh, you think_ that's _neat? Wait till you see this." James, Tati, and Kasey invaded the Athena table, causing an uncomfortable crowding of my siblings. James reached into his back jeans pocket and slid out a familiar-looking black Swiss Army knife.

"Hey, isn't that the knife you left at home?" Jessica asked in recognition as she joined us.

"Nope. Looks exactly like it though." James smirked. "It's just built a bit different, that's all." He flipped the switchblade and the pocketknife extended into his black-and-iron scythe.

"Ugh, you all are lucky." I said jealously. "Girdles, barettes, earrings, pocketknives, necklaces, and all I get is this stupid flashlight." I said, waving around the shiny silver tube.

"Hey!" Annabeth smacked me in the back of my head. "Don't insult our mother's gifts! Trust me, it'll turn out to be very useful. Athena wasn't known as the goddess of wisdom for nothing."

I rolled my eyes. "My mother's abandoned me for 12 years. I don't think she would've passed Parenting 101."

"Jackie . . . ." She scolded warningly. "You shouldn't talk about her like that - especially if she's a goddess."

"Whatever." I grumbled, shrugging off the bitter feeling that was building up inside. "Oh, where's Kasey?"

Mackenzie snickered. "Over there, trying to flirt with that blonde guy." She gestured over her shoulder.

I glanced over her head and saw Kasey talking with that Apollo kid from the lake earlier. "Ohmigod, Kasey's _flirting_ with a _guy_?" I was flabbergasted.

"Like I said, _trying_ to." Mackenzie emphasized.

"Hey! That's my brother, Alex Solstice!" Tatiana exclaimed.

"The piano prodigy?" James asked.

"Yeah."

Kasey caught us glancing her way, broke away from her conversation, and walked towards us.

"What's with all the fishy stares?" She accused as she slid in besides James.

"Kasey . . . ." Tati teased. "Flirting with my brother, are you?"

Kasey snorted. "_Please_. Alex is my new best buddy. That's it. Kapeesh?'

"Riiight . . . ." Mackenzie drawled.

"Just because _you_ don't know how to have a just-friends-relationship with a guy doesn't mean all of us are like that." Kasey said disdainfully.

James raised his hand. "_I_ certainly know how to keep a just-friends-relationship with a guy."

"Oh, ha-ha." Annabeth said a flat voice.

"Anyways, have any of you even formed an idea about what the prophecy might mean?" Tatiana asked. All she received response were shaking heads.

Jessica bit her lip. "All I can get from it is that there's some promise we're supposed to keep . . . ."

"The oath we keep with our final breath." I stated.

"Yeah. And I think there might be some rivalry between the gods." Tati noted.

"Why's that?" Mackenzie leaned forward.

"Well, it says to 'storm of fire the world will fall'. That kind of sounds like there's going to be some sort of division in Olympia, or some sort of battle . . "

"True." I nodded, my heart falling. I really didn't want to be caught up in some major schism between the gods. From what I've learned from myths, they aren't exactly pretty. But now that Tati pointed it out . . .it would seem that something was going to happen.

"Agh." Annabeth groaned. "Just what we need. Another war."

I truly hoped we were just bad fortune-tellers.

* * *

_Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong._

The camp clock continued tolling. I counted a total of twelve times. The cicadas chirped outside, and I could hear Artemis conducting her eerie nighttime symphony from her crescent cradle suspended in the sky.

I glanced over at the row of beds, my siblings dozing off peacefully, their faces awash with the pale light of the moon. I envied them.

It was past curfew, but I knew something had to be done. I swung my legs down from the bed and carefully slipped on a jacket and my favorite silk slippers, padding softly towards the door and slipping out silently.

It was a chilly night for summertime. The afternoon rain had cooled the air down a bit. I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter around me. I didn't quite know where I was heading - I just walked, my slippers sinking into the thick green grass.

My peaceful nighttime stroll was suddenly interrupted by an unwelcome voice. "Hey, you!"

I whipped around to see a figure materialize out of the shadows. Ugh, just the person I wanted to see. Nico approached, wearing only an undershirt and shorts. I self-consciously zipped my jacket up over my pajamas.

"What the hell do you think you're doing out here?" He asked rudely.

I steeled my jaw. "I'm just coming out for a breath of fresh air. Now, if you'll just please mind your own business, I'll be on my way."

I turned to leave, but an arm reached out to stop me.

"I'm a camp counselor, it _is_my business. You _do_ know that its past curfew, don't you?" He sneered imperatively.

"I'm as aware of it as you are, Mr. Di Angelo." I shot back.

Nico turned red and narrowed his eyes. "Like I said, I'm a camp counselor."

I laughed in disbelief. "That doesn't mean you're above the rules!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.

"Look Nico, I'm not going to set fire to the camp when everyone else is asleep, so you just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. Okay? Okay."

Without waiting for an answer, I walked away, taking deep breaths as I clenched my fists. Oh, camp counselor schmounselor. He was just abusing his hoity-toity status.

I found myself ending up at the top of the hill by the lake - the same spot that Jessica had been struck by lightning. As I sat down on the damp grass, hugging my knees to my chest, thinking about everything that had happened in the past two days, my annoyance at Nico started to fade away.

I raised my head and glanced up at the darkened heavens, dotted with the sparkling remnants of legends past, their stories frozen in the tapestry of time that hung above our heads, and I wondered what our own story would look like.

_Perseus, Hercules, Andromeda, Hydra, and my own sign, the great Leo . . . ._

The wind rustled the grass, and for a moment, I thought I could hear the song of the stars, laughing and twinkling in the night sky. I strained my ears, hoping that perhaps the cosmos would give away some clue as to what was coming in the future. But the stars were teasingly silent as they winked at me.

Suddenly, a brilliant light cut through the darkness. I gasped as a dazzling silver comet streaked across the sky, blazing brightly.

I closed my eyes and whispered my deepest wish before the comet fell behind the tops of the dark trees. When I opened my eyes once more, I could still make out the faint trail of stardust the comet had painted across the sky.

_Oh, please, someone tell me what in the world I'm supposed to do._ I begged silently, pouring out a torrent of my unanswered questions. _ I don't know what this prophecy means. I don't know where to start, or what to do. I don't know how to be a heroine. I'm just a regular girl, I don't know anything. _

_I don't know why I was chosen for this quest, out of everyone else. I don't know why I'm so different from my siblings. I don't know why my mother didn't claim me earlier. I don't know if she's ashamed of me, or if she's simply forgotten me. _

_When the time comes, you'll know. _The stars sang back in their pure, sweet, voice.

Then I realized that the voice wasn't coming from the heavens. I turned around.

A tall, slender female figure draped in silver was walking slowly towards me. Even though I'd never seen this woman in my life, I immediately knew. The forehead, the mouth, the ears, the way she walked -

"Mom?" I whispered, not daring to hope. The word tumbled surprisingly easily out of my mouth.

The woman didn't answer - instead, she approached and wordlessly enveloped me into a hug. She smelled wonderful - a hint of clean laundry, lily. and cedar trees.

"Sweetheart." The word sounded wonderfully coming from her mouth. She let go and held me at arm's length, observing me. Her silver eyes were filled with limitless wisdom . . .and a hint of sadness? Or maybe it was just me. "You have sure grown."

"Yeah." I said, not knowing what to say. My mind was blank with shock.

"We have so much to talk about." Athena sighed. "But first of all, if you'll excuse me, I must change out of this attire." She gestured towards her silver chiton, and suddenly she was standing in a set of flannel pajamas dotted with grey owls.

"Now, that's much better." She said satisfactorily. "You see, I've just returned from a meeting in Mount Olympus - complaints about the satyr strike and whatnot - and Zeus is very strict about business dress." She sat down, criss-cross applesauce. "Here, have a seat." My mother patted the spot on the grass next to her.

I sat down uncertainly, and I almost had the urge to laugh as I thought about how strange the situation was - me, sitting down Indian-style with Athena, my mother, both of us in our PJs. It almost seemed - normal.

"Dear daughter, you must be very angry at me." Athena said sorrowfully as she looked at me.

"I'm -" I was about to tell her I wasn't, but then I remembered I _was_ mad at her. "Yeah, I am kind of pissed off." I admitted.

She pressed her lips together. "I have a lot of explaining to do."

"Alright then." I said, leaning back on my arms. "I have the time."

She looked at me with an unreadable expression, then took my hand. "Darling, don't you ever think that I forgot about you."

"Then why didn't you -"

"Why didn't I claim you?" She completed softly. Athena looked away, and she was silent for a few moments. I could've sworn, her eyes became a bit glassy.

"The truth is - my relationship with your father was a very unique one." She said. I could tell her voice was a bit strained. "When I saw you, you reminded me of him so much - I couldn't claim you."

"Why? What was wrong with my dad?" I frowned.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That was what made it hurt the most . . ." She trailed off.

"You _do _know I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, right?" I said, annoyed.

She sighed, and looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry . . .I'm not making any sense right now."

"Yeah." I agreed.

"Look, I'll tell you more about your father some other time." She stood up, and quickly resumed her tranquil façade. "But as for now, I have a couple of gifts for you."

"Gifts?" I raised my eyebrow as I scrambled up.

"A long, dangerous journey awaits you." Her grey eyes pierced mine. "I'm not going to fabricate anything for you. Your quest is pitted with trials and obstacles - things far beyond anything you have ever experienced. No one knows what awaits you on this journey."

Was she supposed to be making me feel better? Because it wasn't working.

"You will need a few things to help you along the way." A gleam appeared in Athena's eye as she smirked. "Now, I noticed you complaining about your lack of magical items at dinner."

"Oh!" I blushed. "I had no idea you heard me -" I spluttered, extremely embarrassed.

"Its fine, I'm perfectly grateful for your torch and everything. Eternal fire's cool." I hastily said. I had heard about the painful consequences of foolish people who had looked gift gods in the mouth, and I really didn't want to become one of them.

"Nevertheless," my mother said coyly. "I want my daughter to be properly equipped." She held a long, pale arm into the air, and a snow-white eagle swooped out of the sky, a leather satchel caught in its claws. It dropped the satchel into Athena's outstretched hand, then disappeared into the night.

She undid the clasp of the satchel, and pulled out a familiar looking yellow-and-black paperback book. It was thick, and it looked like something that a college student would have in their backpack. Athena handed it to me.

"Modern Mythology for Demmies." I recited, laughing as I noticed the triangle-headed "Dummies" icon was now wearing a laurel wreath, a toga, holding a caduceus, and wearing winged sandals.

"Hermes, of course." My mother smiled with me. "This manual basically gives you the basic information you need to know about modern mythical society."

I flipped through it. I could tell it'd be really helpful. I looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

Athena held up a finger. "I'm not quite done yet."

She reached into the satchel and pulled out two silver objects. One of them was an elegant clasped watch. The other was a construction compass, its silver point terribly sharp.

I set down the book and carefully took the two items, observing them curiously.

"Learn to use these two instruments wisely." My mother advised as she handed me the satchel.

I dropped the watch and compass inside, then slid the Demmies manual in. "I will." I promised. "Thanks again, Mom."

And, just because it felt natural, I gave my mother a hug.

Athena stroked my hair. "Promise me something, dear?"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what, remember that I'll always be proud of you." She said softly. My heart swelled.

And then, there was a whisper of the wind blowing through the trees, and she was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'd like to dedicate this whole chapter to my mom as a very, very, very late Mother's Day gift. LOL yeah, this was supposed to be done a long time ago. :)


	12. The Satyr Threat

_"When did the future switch from being a promise to being a **threat**?"_

_-Chuck Palahniuk_

The next morning, I woke up to my sister dragging me out of bed.

"Rise and shine, Owl Child." Annabeth rolled me off of the mattress, and I fell to the ground with a _thud_. "Cabin checks in five minutes."

I groaned as I scrambled up to make my bed.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, after grabbing a quick breakfast, we started off the day with an intense rock-climbing session. Mackenzie and I both got minor burns from the lava flow.

"Great Zeus! I need to go to the infirmary!" Mackenzie complained, cradling her injured hand.

"Oh, you're such a sissy." Kasey scoffed, quickly scrambling upwards, determined to beat out Anne Swift.

"This is _serious_!" Mackenzie protested tearfully.

Tati kindly offered her services in an attempt to silence the poor girl.

Other than those few mishaps, I discovered that camp life wasn't too bad at all. I've never been to an actual sleepaway camp before - I was never in Girl Scouts or anything - and the whole experience was rather enjoyable.

We discovered that Tati, Mackenzie and Jess were good hands at archery, but James couldn't aim an arrow to save his life. (He had _nothing_ to do with that deflated volleyball, Mr. D. Really.)

Here's a tip: If you ever go for a short horse race - _never _race against Kasey. Because she'll always win.

I was shocked to find out that fencing was actually a strength of mine. Lizzy, James, and I were rather skilled with a sword, if I do say so myself.

Speaking of weapons . . .so far I had made no progress in deciphering the hidden use of my watch and compass. I decided to consult with my sister while we were walking back from the armory.

"Oh, this is obvious." Annabeth laughed after she was done analyzing the silver instruments.

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

Annabeth pressed the adjustment knob on my watch, and the watch face unfolded itself into a large, circular shield, a yard in diameter.

"Wow." I rolled my eyes. "I feel retarded. And I spent all that time trying to find a secret clasp . . . ."

"Oh please." Annabeth snorted at my stupidity. "Mother _has _to make our weapons handy."

I took a good look at the shield. The circle was divided into twelve congruent sectors, centered by a shiny circular hub with a ϕ character engraved on it. I looked closer, realizing that there was a bunch of tiny, equally-spaced ticks along the edge of the shield.

"It still looks like a clock." I observed.

"Hm, yeah, it does." Annabeth agreed. "Very cool." She pressed the ϕ hub, and the shield collapsed into its original form.

"Oh, by the way . . ." I said, taking the watch. "I was wondering if you knew what this meant." I flipped the watch over, and pointed to two terms engraved on the back.

_DIVINUS PROCURATIO_, the silver carvings proclaimed.

"Divine direction . . ." Annabeth murmured, then frowned. "I wonder what that means. . ." She shrugged. "But our parents have always had this thing about carving old terms and characters on our gifts."

"And what about my compass?" I reminded her. She was still holding onto it

"Oh, this?" Annabeth pressed the silver knob at the top of the compass, and the two legs sprang apart into a straight line, lengthening and sharpening, until a long, slender sword rested in her hand.

"Ohmigosh!" I couldn't resist squealing. The thing was beautiful. Annabeth carefully handed it to me, and I tested the sword out. It was like an extension of my hand - light, fluid, quick, nimble, more than I could ever ask for.

"Thank you, Mom!" I looked up to the sky.

Annabeth smiled. "You like it?"

"A lot." I nodded. "What should I call her?" I wondered, marveling in the sword's ability.

"She already has a name." Annabeth pointed out, gesturing towards the blade.

I looked carefully, and I found when I tipped the sword so the light hit it just right, I could see a light engraving along the edge of the blade.

_Έξι __Φ_

"_Exi Phi_ . . ." I read. "Six Phi?" I wrinkled my nose in confusion.

Annabeth shrugged, clearly as puzzled as I was.

"Hey," I laughed a little. "It's like Excalibur, only in Greek." I pressed a promising-looking knob on the hilt of the sword, and to my satisfaction, the sword became a compass once more. I slipped the compass inside the leather satchel that I now wore strapped across my chest, and clasped the watch onto my wrist.

"Hey, you two. How're you guys doing?" Percy sauntered up, swinging his arm around Annabeth.

"Just fine, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth tucked her head on his shoulder. Aww . . .they were _so_ sweet.

"Now, Jackie, I hope you don't mind if I interrupt your sister-bonding time -"

"Oh, no, it's fine, go ahead!" I said quickly.

"Great, thanks, I owe you one, Owl Child." Percy grinned, whisking his girlfriend off to the dining pavilion.

Just a few moments after the doting couple disappeared, I heard a familiar voice calling out my own name. I turned to see Jessica running down the hill towards me.

"Jackie!" She panted excitedly as she neared and came to a halt. "You won't believe what I've found!"

"What?" I was curious.

"First, where's everyone else?" Jessica gasped, bending over and resting her hands on her knees. She must've gone for a long run.

"They've already gone over to dinner, why?"

"Okay, forget _them_ then." Jess grabbed my arm. "You've _got_ to see what my dad got me."

* * *

I was winded by the time we arrived at the Zeus cabin. It takes a lot out of you when you're being dragged across the whole camp by one of the fastest runners in our school.

Jessica sprinted upstairs, and I groaned and tried to keep up. "Jess, slow down a bit, will you?"

"Oh, Jackie, you're never going to believe what I've got . . ." Jessica showed me into her room.

I took a quick scan of the room, trying to figure out _what in Olympia_ Jess was all spastic about, when I spotted it.

"Great Gaea, what is _that_?" I yelped.

On Jessica's mammoth bed sat one of the strangest items I've ever seen - and considering what I've seen so far in this story, that counts for something.

The only familiar comparison I could make with the object was that it seemed to look like a crossbow of sorts - only about three times bigger. The bow was carved out of a glossy copperish material - what was that bronze stuff Annabeth had been telling me about earlier? That's right, celestial bronze. Celestial bronze, I recalled, was unlike regular metals because could hurt monsters and other mythical creatures.

The bow didn't bother me at all though. It looked relatively normal next to its arrow - well, perhaps I shouldn't say _arrow_. That was no _arrow_ mounted on the stock.

At first I thought I was mistaken. I rubbed my eyes. "Holy Zeus . . ."

Notched into the bow was a three-foot-long, blindingly bright _lightning bolt_, flickering and crackling with energy.

"Wicked, right?" Jessica flashed a smile.

We tentatively approached the object. I glanced around and noticed a large leather quiver leaning against the bedpost, stocked with four or five other charged bolts.

"Have you tried the bow out yet?" I asked.

"Uh, no?" Jessica answered sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"I don't know . . ." Jessica bit her lip. "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of afraid of what will happen if I touch the bolt. I was hoping you'd be able to help me figure out what to do with it."

"Dude!" I gave her a look of wonder. "You're the _daughter_ of Zeus! Lightning is your element!"

"I know, I know . . ." Jess shrugged. "It's just weird to think about touching, like, a bazillion killerwatts."

"That small bolt is _not_ a 'bazillion kilowatts'." I rolled my eyes. "More like a million watts, for that little thing."

"Shut up, you Asian." Jessica groaned light-heartedly.

"Look, are you going to give the bow a go or just let it spark on your bed and incinerate your sheets?" I tapped my foot.

"Alright, alright then." Jessica carefully picked up the crossbow by the crescent. "Here goes nothing."

Jessica's face was comically screwed up as she prepared to pull touch the bolt. It was a mixture of fear and acceptance - like she was just getting ready for a painful experience. It reminded me of when five-year-old kids were preparing for their first shot.

Just as Jessica's fingers landed on the silvery-white electric spear, her grey eyes flung open wide. "_Woah_."

"What is it?" I asked hurriedly.

"It feels - it feels _great_!" Jessica grinned. "It's like drinking Rockstar - on _steroids_."

"You feeling a buzz?" I chuckled.

"Totally." Jessica pulled the bolt slightly back, tensing the string. A sudden bubble of panic rose in my throat.

"Wait!" I flung up my hands.

"What?" Jess asked curiously, lowering the bow.

"Um - I've been rethinking this whole thing." I said quickly, glancing warily at the fragile glass windows. "Since we have no idea what this bow can do . . .maybe you should test it outside?"

"Oh!" Jess quickly set the bow down on her bed. "Yeah, that would be a much more logical thought. I'll test it out tomorrow during archery."

"Sounds good. Can't wait to see what it does." I started walking back towards the door. "C'mon, let's go down to dinner now. They're waiting for us."

"Alright -" Suddenly Jessica halted, mystified by something outside the window. Uh-oh . . . last time she'd been looking out her window, she hadn't enjoyed the view that much.

"Well." Jessica said tightly as she took a few steps towards the glass. "James is certainly popular here." She observed James walking up to the dining pavilion with four doting girls.

"Well, you've got to admit, he's not exactly the ugliest guy out there. . ." I chose my words carefully. But apparently, not carefully enough.

Jessica whipped around towards me, her eyes blazing. "Well, then you can go on and join his little fan club as well!" She snapped, then stormed out of the room.

I sighed and shook my head, heading downstairs a few moments after her. When I got outside, there was no sign of Jess.

I was about to turn and head up to the dining pavilion by myself, when I heard a loud blast of familiar rock music from somewhere nearby. I glanced to my right. The Poseidon cabin. Of course.

Through the window, I could see Kasey cranking up her surround sound system - Sweet Asphodel, when'd _she_ score the Dolby Digital? She looked up and saw me, her eyes lighting up. She disappeared from the window, and a few seconds later the cabin door cracked open.

"Hey, Applejacks, where're you heading?" Kasey yelled out the door.

"I was just heading up to dinner. Whats up?" I answered.

"Screw the dinner, we're dining in tonight, all-you-can-eat-seafood. Lobster bisque, crab cakes -"

"Sushi?" I perked up, approaching the door.

"Duh." Kasey rolled her eyes and pulled me inside.

The Poseidon cabin was a sty. Sorry, but that was the only way I could describe it. Blankets on the floor, CD cases scattered about, ratty sneakers thrown in corners - if Mackenzie was here, she'd throw a fit. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was blaring from the speakers, and the smell of salt and chlorine filled my nostrils.

"Wow." Was the only thing I could manage.

Percy was lounging on the couch in front of an LCD widescreen mounted to the wall. He turned around and groaned. "Oh, God, Kasey, first you disturb my peace with your stupid junk music, and now you're invading my space with your friends? I mean - no offense Jackie . . ."

"None taken." I assured breezily.

Kasey rolled her eyes. "Ignore him. He's suffering from SCD."

"Sickle-cell disease?" I exclaimed in shock.

"Single Child Disorder." Kasey corrected, leading me over to her area of the cabin. Her bed was set up on an elevated platform, rising above her white office desk, her speaker system, and her small dining table laid with the most scrumptious seafood dishes EVER. Oooh, were those California rolls?

"It takes a while to grow out of SCD when he's had it for so long." Kasey smirked mischievously. "So I try to help him, I really do."

Kasey walked over to her iHome dock on her sound system, and daringly cranked up the volume knob until it was nearly at max. I could practically feel the beat of the music in my feet.

"KASEY!" Percy bellowed. "TURN DOWN YOUR DAMN MUSIC, I'M TRYING TO WATCH TELEVISON!"

Kasey shook her head cheekily. "You're watching _your_ television, remember? And I'm listening to _my_ music." Simple Plan came on, their guitar intro growing louder and louder by the second.

Percy turned red with anger. He looked like he was ready to chuck his remote at us. Whatever was coming our way, I kept my hand readily around my watch.

"What's up, Percy?" Kasey snickered. "You look like you need some water." Kasey turned the speakers on full blast. _Owwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeee_.

Percy threw his hands up in frustration. "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I GIVE IN!" He bellowed over Pierre Bouvier. "YOU CAN WATCH THE - _MY _- TV!" He huffed. "THAT'S WHAT YOU WANTED, ISN'T IT?"

Kasey smirked victoriously and turned off her sound system. I massaged my ears, sighing in relief. Nothing could be heard now except for the soothing sounds of the wall fountains and the muted voice on the television.

Percy pointed a warning finger at Kasey. "But no more than two hours a day. And not during primetime."

"Why? Is that when your wittle Animal Pwanet show is on?" Kasey teased.

"Whale Wars is a serious documentary television show!" Percy retorted defensively, the tips of his ears flaming. "It's not my fault your little immature mind can't understand the depth of whale biology and their life patterns."

Kasey turned to me and mouthed _WOW_. I tried to suppress my giggles. Kasey and Percy were such - _siblings_.

* * *

"You guys are so _ahnoying!_" Mackenzie huffed, shaking out another shower of pink glitter out of her hair.

Kasey sniggered. "I'll never forget your face -!" Kasey mocked.

Lizzy shook her head, sharpening her newly-renovated axe on the Armory's stone wheel. "Can't you two just _get along_?"

"NO." Kasey and Mackenzie both answered at the same time.

"Her and her goonies are so immature. Really, your grade-school-pranks are just lame." Mackenzie sniffed.

You see, in Arts and Crafts, Kasey and her two new partners in crime, Anne Swift and Alex Solstice, had decided to give Mackenzie a bit of a makeover. Let's just say their methods of highlighting hair were limited to jars of glitter and felt markers.

"But my "lame pranks" certainly seem to get on your nerves enough." Kasey noted

I could tell Mac's blood was boiling. "Oh, just because you've become buddy-buddy with the big guys on campus -"

"Mackenzie, just calm down." Tati soothed.

"Easy for you to say." Mackenzie shot a death glare at the three guilty ones.

I sighed, finished polishing Exi Phi and retracted her into a compass. "Look, are we ready to go or what?"

James flipped the blade on his scythe, and it shrank itself into its Swiss form. "I'm just finished."

"Lizzy, how's the axe looking?"

"Just fine." Lizzy removed lifted up the axe, examined the blades, blew on the edges a bit, then pressed a knob in the handle. The two blades shrank into the handle, leaving the axe looking like hiker's walking stick.

"You got it changed!" Tati exclaimed.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Lizzy raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you get those Hephaestus guys to do it? They're kind of stingy, you know." Anne observed.

Lizzy bit her lip sheepishly.

"Lizzy. . . .?" Mackenzie's voice was thick with suspicion.

Lizzy smiled mischievously. "Let's just say . . .I used my powers of persuasion."

James snorted. "More like powers of flirtation."

Mackenzie beamed. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, you've finally learned something!"

Lizzy gave Mackenzie a look that could've frozen Florida.

"Where's Jess?" James wondered as we left the Armory equipped with bows and arrows - the old fashioned kind.

"She's already at the Archery Field." I informed him.

"Still practicing hard on that crossbow of hers, eh?" James guessed. "She's getting really good."

"Yeah." I said weakly, not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing.

We reached the Archery field, and found Jess out there by her lonesome, aiming at her own special target. Chiron had had to order a whole new set of rubber insulator targets just for Jess, because the first time Jessica had shot a bolt at a regular canvas target, she'd blown the thing into pieces.

There was a crackle, then a buzz of electricity as Jessica's bolt hit bulls-eye.

James whistled in admiration, tucking his hands in his pockets as we strolled down to join her. "Nice thing you've got going, eh, Bolten?"

"Thanks!" Jessica beamed.

I picked a target and raised my bow. I wasn't hopeless, I supposed - just not the best. The bow always seemed to block my view somehow.

_Whizz. Doing._

I looked up. My arrow had lodged itself on the target easel. I groaned.

"Nice shot." A very unwelcome voice gloated.

I glared at Nico, who had sauntered up next to me. "Well, let's see you give it a shot, then." I retorted.

And, of course, karma would let Nico di Angelo score a bulls-eye this time out of all times. He smirked, and I scowled darkly.

"Here." Nico sighed. "Let me help you with your posture." He made a move to approach me, but I waved my bow dangerously.

"O-oh _no_." I warned sharply. "Don't even think about laying a hand on me."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Fine. Perhaps I'll just go help that Aprhodite chick instead."

"Right." I snickered. "You do that." Nico had been pursuing Mackenzie for the last two weeks we've been here, to no avail. She wouldn't hear of him.

"Hey! Rosiebloom!" Nico greeted forwardly.

Mackenzie didn't even look at him as she notched an arrow onto her string. "It's Rosenbloom, di Angelo."

"Need some help with your archery?" Nico offered.

Mackenzie turned to him, bow still poised, and shot an arrow straight past him - missing his ear by about a centimeter. We all laughed as Nico jumped and cursed involuntarily.

"Clearly, I don't." Mackenzie answered coldly.

"Blondes." Nico growled in disgust, abandoning his amiable facade. Kasey stiffened. "You all are airheaded, temperamental, and proud. The only reason we keep you around is because you guys are damn good in-"

I saw red. With one fluid motion, Exi Phi was suddenly out of my pocket and at Nico's throat. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Kasey and Mackenzie were ready to spill blood as well. Nico's dark green eyes widened.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ talk about my friends like that, you hear me?" I hissed quietly, my eyes narrowing.

Nico shrugged off my sword. "Whatever. All of you are more trouble than you're worth anyways." He backed away, eyeing us warily. "I swear, you guys are the most violent group of girls I've ever met. I've never gotten so many injuries from flirting."

"Well, that's the way we are." Lizzy jutted out her chin. "And if you can't handle it, your problem. Stick to your wimpy Aphrodite groupies."

"Hey!" Mackenzie yelled in indignation.

"Besides Mac." Lizzy said quickly.

Nico's eyes suddenly flashed an emotion resembling sorrow and anger- which made me confused. I observed his knuckles turning white as he gripped his bow harder.

"Not all Aphrodite girls are brainless, you know." He said quietly, his eyes unreadable.

"Yeah . . .I know." Mackenzie said, a bit surprised. "Which is why I don't appreciate you talking to me like that. Or to any of my friends, for that matter."

Nico didn't answer. He just silently turned and walked away from the Archery Field.

I glanced at James, puzzled. "What was _that_ about?"

James shrugged nonchalantly. "How the bloody hell am I supposed to know?"

We didn't give it any more thought and returned to our archery. Other demigods were beginning to arrive as well for the afternoon archery session, when I suddenly spotted a panicked-looking satyr galloping through the field. A small outburst of curses erupted as he darted in between our flying arrows.

"Hey! Hold up!" The satyr yelled. "HEY! Watch it, extremely urgent message coming through!" He squeaked as an arrow nearly missed his rear. All firing soon ceased.

He slowed down as he approached us, out of breath. I wondered who he was. He didn't look familiar to me at all. He had curly red hair and a bit of a goatee.

Cries of recognition rang out in the crowd. "Grover? GROVER!"

"Is that Grover? I thought he was on strike!" Tori cried out in surprise.

"Grover, my man!" Alex Solstice sprang forward and slapped him on the back. "You've returned! How're things going?"

"Hey, no time for greetings." The goat-boy Grover said hurriedly. "Where's Percy and Annabeth? Or Chiron for that matter?"

Kasey rolled her eyes. "Seaweed Brain's over at the dueling arena with his girlfriend." She snickered. "But I'm not sure how much _dueling's_ actually going on."

Grover halted, looking at Kasey curiously. "Who're _you_?"

"His little sister." Kasey answered.

Grover's jaw dropped. "Wha -!"

He closed his mouth, then shook his head. "Never mind, but there better be a damn good explanation for this later. I've gotta go find those two and Chiron._ Fast_." Then, without another word, he turned and galloped away in the direction of the arena.

"So confused." Mackenzie remarked.

The whole crowd was set abuzz by this strange appearance. Kasey nudged me in the ribs mischievously. "Hey. You think we should follow him?"

I frowned. "Uhm, why? It's none of our business."

"C'mon, I want in on the action." Lizzy whined.

"You _always_ want in on the action." Jessica pointed out.

"Well, I don't see any harm in poking around a bit." James shrugged. "I'm pretty curious about why that goat-boy's got his tail in a spin."

"Hey, remember what happened _last_ time when we followed someone we weren't supposed to?" I reminded them. "We got attacked by gargoyles."

"Jackie," Tati pointed out. "Following Tori was _your_ idea . . . ."

"Which is completely _besides_ the point." I huffed.

"C'mon." Kasey grabbed me by the arm. "He's needs to talk to _our_ siblings, so technically it's _our _business."

"Oh, that's bull." I rolled my eyes, but we all followed her anyways.

As we turned the corner past the dueling arena, we spotted Chiron, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover huddled together, talking in urgent, hushed, tones.

Kasey walked up to them nonchalantly, and we trailed uncertainly behind. "Hey, guys." She greeted them breezily.

"Oh, boy, what're _you_ doing here?" Percy turned around and groaned when he saw Kasey.

"We were just checking to make sure Grover found you guys all right." She lied.

"Er, Percy, I have to ask. . . ." Grover pointed to Kasey. "Is this girl actually your sister?"

"Long story." Percy rolled his eyes. "But unfortunately, yes. I can't believe it either."

Annabeth snapped her fingers, annoyed. "Hey! Guys, can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Oh, sorry." Percy and Grover both became serious once more.

"What's going on?" Jessica frowned. "Is there a problem?"

Chiron sighed. "Yes. There is a problem." He cleared his throat. "I believe you guys have been around in camp long enough to know something about this satyr strike that's been going on?"

I nodded. "We've heard it mentioned once or twice."

"What is it all about?" Tatiana inquired.

"I'm not sure if you knew, but satyrs are very useful as seekers and protectors, because they can detect demigods and sense feelings." Annabeth explained. "Satyrs have a long and lengthy history of serving the demigods."

"But some satyrs began to think that it was unfair how they were being chained to these jobs," Percy continued. "When all they wanted to do was join Greenpeace and clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico. They're like, _the_ tree-huggers." His glance flickered towards Grover. "Literally."

"Just this March, a few satyrs started a protest right here at Camp Half-Blood," Chiron told us. "Because our camp requires the most satyr labor in the country. They argued for more benefits and less work and additional recognition. The Council of Cloven Elders, who are their leaders - and of which our friend Grover here is the Head Elder -" Grover didn't look too elderly to me. "Tried to pull a reign on the situation, and they might've been able to nip it in the bud then and there, but then, our dear friend Dionysus had to interfere of course." Chiron sighed.

"Dionysus is, like, in charge of the satyrs, isn't he?" I remembered from my _Demmies_ manual.

"Yes." Grover replied tightly. Clearly he was not on very good terms with good ol' Mr. D. "Dionysus was annoyed with the trouble the satyrs were causing, so to punish us, he destroyed the Shrine of Pan that we had constructed in Mt. Ranier National Park after the war."

"I'm guessing you all were _pissed_." James observed tactfully.

"Dionysus' actions sparked a nationwide uprising. Every single satyr in the United States of America packed up their bags and left their posts to go on strike." Chiron stroked his beard. "The satyrs are demanding some form of reimbursement from him, but of course, the old coot won't budge. Stubborn character, that man is."

"So - if you were supposed to be on strike, why're you _here_?" Kasey asked Grover.

Percy gave an annoyed sigh. "We were _getting_ to that part when we were so _rudely interrupted_."

"So, now that we've filled you all in, please tell us what's going on, Grover." Annabeth's eyes were wide in concern.

Grover pressed his lips together into a line. "I'm bringing bad news." He said gravely.

"What?" We all asked at the same time.

"Let's just say a few of the - ah - more _passionate_ strikers have imposed harmful threats on Camp Half-Blood if Dionysus doesn't give way soon." Grover looked at the ground.

"Threats?" A deep wrinkle appeared between Chiron's eyebrows. "What kind of threats?"

Grover sighed. "Listen, this isn't coming from me, okay? I - along with all the other Elders - have done everything we can in trying to stop -"

"Just tell us what they're threatening us with, Grover." Annabeth cut in.

Grover spoke slowly. "They're threatening a raid of the camp that may physically harm - and maybe even mortally wound - all of the campers."


	13. The Kidnapping

_"We have reason to believe and evidence to support that the terrorists and foreign fighters are, _  
_indeed, using kidnapping as a way to finance their operations."_

_-Rick Lynch_

"Well, don't expect _me_to do anything about it."

"But Mr. D!" Jessica protested. "This is a serious problem!"

"Empty threats." Dionysus insisted, lazily plucking away at a cluster of red grapes.

"Dionysus, perhaps it's time to come to a compromise. The satyrs have been on strike for months - causing a lot of inconveniences to Greek society." Chiron reasoned. "And you can't honestly tell me their anger is uncalled for."

Mr. D made a noise of indignation. "If you think you can persuade me to spoil those bratty goat children of mine, you thought wrong. They deserved what they got coming."

Annabeth sighed in exasperation. "Mr. D, at least let the campers set up some sort of defense to prepare for an aggressive attack."

"I'm telling you kids, you're wasting your time." Dionysus shrugged, readjusting his aviator sunglasses. "But hey, do whatever you want. I'm just telling you, _I'm_ not going to do anything about this so-called threat."

"Yeah, yeah, we got that." Percy sighed.

* * *

"So what're we going to do?" I asked as Annabeth rolled out a map of the camp on the cabin six worktable. The seven of us, Tori, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover huddled around.

"Easy." Lizzy said, tucking her green streak behind her ear. "We all set up border around the perimeter of the camp." She traced her finger around the map. "We have an advantage of height - so if the satyrs try invading camp, we'll see them easily."

"And then what happens when we see them?" Annabeth prodded.

Lizzy shrugged. "We shoot, of course. We have archers, don't we?"

Grover sighed. "Good lords! You don't want to _hurt_ them!"

"Why not?" Lizzy asked, confused.

"Look, Corleone." Annabeth explained concisely. "Our objective is to ensure the safety of the campers and cause the _least amount of harm possible_."

"Annabeth, _the satyrs_are the ones that are threatening _us_." Lizzy insisted.

"They're not actually threatening _us_, Elizabeth." Percy tried to put it into retrospective. "They're threatening Dionysus. We just happen to be part of the bargain."

"Oh, yeah, like _that_ makes it any better." Kasey scoffed.

"Hey. You. Shut it." Percy shot her an evil glance.

"My point is . . ." Annabeth huffed. "The satyrs haven't actually done anything wrong. They're simply trying to catch the attention of someone who just won't listen to anything they say. So if it's anyone's fault . . ."

"It's Mr. D's." I finished.

"Yeah, but, like we heard before, he's not going to lift a finger over this." Tori sniffed.

"Okay, okay, who _cares_ who's fault this is? Either way, if no one else has a better idea, we're going to have to go with my plan in the end, and you know it." Lizzy insisted.

"But Lizzy, your plan is impractical." I noted. "I mean - we have no idea when these satyrs are even coming. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. It could be next _month_, for all we know! So are you going to have all of us equipped and on patrol for who-knows-how-long until they come?"

Lizzy opened her mouth, closed it, then answered. "Shoot. That's true." She turned towards the satyr. "Grover, any idea when this supposed 'attack' is supposed to be?"

Grover shrugged, nervously chewing on a work tool. "Idunno." He mumbled.

"Hey!" Annabeth yelled indignantly, snatching the screwdriver out of his mouth. "That's mine!"

"We've got to come up with something else, then." Jessica frowned in concentration. "I thought Chiron mentioned that this camp was protected by its magical boundaries?"

"Yes - its protected from monsters and regular mortals. Unfortunately, satyrs are neither, therefore we are recognized as safe, friendly beings." Grover explained.

James snorted. "Right. Awfully safe and friendly." Then he noticed Grover shooting him a look that could've frozen the Sahara. "Oh - sorry."

"Wait . . . . .this is kind of like the security scans at DISS." My eyes widened. "Guys-" I turned to my classmates. "Remember that time, right after the huge drug bust, when the scanners were modified and updated to detect traces of illegal substances as well as metal?"

"Yeah . . . ." Tati nodded slowly.

"Ugh. What a bummer." Lizzy grumbled. "Business was at an all-time low that season."

"_Lizzy!_" Mackenzie hissed, smacking her on the arm.

Lizzy raised up both hands. "Just kidding, BP. It was a joke."

I ignored them. "Well, if DISS could modify its security scans. . . .what if -" I started pacing around the room, tucking a pencil behind my ear. "What if we could somehow magically re-program the boundaries to recognize satyrs as monsters as well?"

"We're not _monsters_!" Grover retorted indignantly.

"I never said you were!" I insisted. "I'm just saying, what if you were _recognized_ as monsters? Then the other satyrs couldn't get into the camp. Just for a temporary period of time of course - at least until the threat blows over."

There was a small period of silence.

"Well, that's actually not a rubbish idea." James admitted.

"Yeah." Annabeth started nodding. "That could work . . ."

"Is it _possible_?" Tatiana asked. "Is it hard magic?"

"I'm sure some of the kids from the Hecate cabin would be able to figure out something. I'll stop by and talk to Shelly Arbitram - she's one of the best." Tori offered.

"Good call." Grover nodded.

Annabeth looked around one more time, then slid off her reading glasses and started rolling up the camp map. "Alright. That sounds -"

She was cut off by a sudden scream outside. It was echoed by other urgent shouts and yells.

"Oh, what in Tartarus is going on?" Annabeth leapt up from her stool and we all flocked towards the window.

"Oh _no_!" Grover cried.

I glanced out the window. Oh, great . . . .

Outside, we could see a horde of one hundred or so pissed off-looking satyrs spilling down the crest of Half-Blood Hill, led by a black-haired, angry satyr with a white horn strapped across his chest. They were all carrying torches and dangerous-looking wooden instruments. Panic ensued in camp. Demigods ran haywire, either scrambling for cover or darting for the Armory.

"How in the world did they arrange the raid so fast?" Percy whispered in wonder. "I mean, Grover, man, you didn't even tell them D's answer."

"They must've been watching and waiting." Grover let out a nervous bleat. "Wow. Radcliffe works seriously."

"I dunno about you wimps, but I'm heading out." Lizzy pronounced, grabbing her 'walking stick' and made way for the door.

"Woah, woah, hold it!" Annabeth held up a hand to stop her.

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, _cause the least amount of harm possible_. Whatever."

"No, really, stop and look." My sister jerked her head towards the window.

We all directed our attention back outside. I was surprised to see Chiron rushing out of the Big House.

"Oh, good, I hope he can put a stop to this." Tati stated.

Chiron made his way through the fast-moving mob of satyrs and rounded upon the black-haired raid leader, forcing him to halt for a few seconds. The rest of the satyr army stopped as well. Chiron's back was towards us, but I could tell by his hand gestures that he was trying to persuade the satyr to stop for a moment to talk.

"Who's that?" Jessica asked. "That guy in the front, with the black hair and the green eyes?"

"That's Radcliffe. He's really big on this whole strike. Stay away from him dude, he could squash you like a bug." Grover shuddered.

"I wonder what Chiron's telling him?" Mackenzie mused.

"Let's find out." I said, turning back towards the door. Lizzy followed immediately, and the others trailed behind.

I cut across the U of cabins, running towards the Hill as fast as I could. A small crowd of demigods had gathered around the base of the hill. Chiron and Radcliffe were in the middle of a heated discussion.

We arrived just in time to hear Chiron say, "I completely understand how you feel. But, surely there is a more rational way to solve this issue?"

"We have given you the opportunity, sir, to resolve this peacefully." Radcliffe growled. "Yet your friend Dionysus simply chooses to ignore the option. So we must take care of this issue the other way."

"But, by trashing the camp, surely you don't think it'll make Dionysus any more favorable towards your cause?" Chiron reasoned. "If anything, he'll be all the more furious with you."

Radcliffe seemed to ponder over this thought, then he shook it off. "My army is not one to back down in fear. We will wage war until our voice is heard."

Chiron sighed. "Radcliffe, your _army_ is little more than a hundred or so satyrs armed with wooden stakes and bows and arrows. Whilst Camp Half-Blood has a demigod population of three hundred strong, and an armory stocked with the most advanced celestial weapons."

_But that didn't mean the demigods were any good with the weapons._I scoffed silently. Though, of course, Radcliffe didn't need to know that. Chiron spoke so persuasively and confidently, even I, for a moment, was convinced that a camp of inexperienced, teenage demigods could take on this furious battalion of satyrs.

Chiron continued. "Perhaps, if you would come up to the house with me, you could talk to Dionysus himself, and we could work out something more practical."

I saw a flash of uncertainty flicker in Radcliffe's green eyes, but he steeled up again. "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am afraid I have to tell you, again, that Dionysus has lost his opportunity to take care of this diplomatically."

And with that, Radcliffe turned around and raised the white horn to his lips, ready to signal.

"WAIT!" Lizzy cried abruptly.

"What?" Radcliffe snapped, whipping around.

"If - if - if you raid the camp. . . ." Lizzy said uncertainly, searching for words. "I'll -" Lizzy suddenly snatched Grover's elbow. "We'll take Grover as hostage!" She blurted.

_WHAT?_

Clearly, everyone else was as shocked as I was. Grover over there was looking pretty flabbergasted.

"Tori, give me your caduceus!" Lizzy commanded.

"What? No - why?" Tori yelped.

Lizzy snatched the pencil straight out of Tori's pocket. The pencil lengthened, then limped and turned into a brown rope. Before anyone could stop her, Lizzy had bound Grover head to toe - I mean, hoof - and gagged him with her favorite fingerless leather glove.

"Lizzy, _what are you doing_?" Jessica hissed.

"I'm giving us leverage." Lizzy replied simply.

Grover gave a muffled, nervous bleat.

I heard a snicker from behind, and turned around to see Radcliffe watching us, amused.

"So this is how you intend to turn the tables?" The satyr spoke mockingly. "By tying up one of our friends?"

A revelation occurred in my mind.

"Certainly, he's more than _just_one of your friends?" I found myself saying. A smile started forming on my face - Lizzy's reckless idea might not be so reckless after all. "If I'm not mistaken, we've just tied up your Lord of the Wild."

A few satyrs looked a bit uneasy, but Radcliffe remained confident. He smirked at us. "You wouldn't dare lay a scratch on him. You're his friends too, after all."

"_They're_ his friends." Lizzy thumbed back over to Annabeth and Percy. "As for me, I've only known him for about half an hour. So I wouldn't hesitate." Keeping Grover stable with one hand, she unsheathed her axe with the other. A unanimous gasp arose in the crowd as Lizzy brought the axe blade flush against Grover's throat. The poor guy trembled.

Radcliffe thought for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke.

"Very well." He said a bit unwillingly. "If you can guarantee that Grover will not be harmed, we will refrain from attack on your camp." Radcliffe turned around, heading back up the hill. Then, in a low, menacing voice, he added, "For now."

Radcliffe's followers retreated after him. After the last hostile satyr had disappeared over the crest of the hill, Lizzy quickly undid the rope and removed her glove from Grover's mouth. "Sorry, dude." She apologized. "I had to do what I had to do."

She was unanimously forgiven.

* * *

The peace didn't last very long. I knew that we were bound to have trouble again, but I didn't expect it so soon - that is, at 6:00 am the next morning.

The sound of muffled, unclear voices slowly dragged me out of my comfortable sleep. In my confused state of unconsciousness, I could hear hushed voices speaking in urgent tones.

"_Oh, thank Gods, she's still here."_

_"Oh, good. So far, they're all safe. I'm going to go check on the other few. Hopefully it wasn't one of them, either."_

I found myself being forced up once again by my sister, who was shaking me by the shoulders. "Jackie, get up!" She hissed.

"Whuzgoinon?" I asked blearily. I rubbed my eyes, blinking at the light. _Who in their right minds turned on the damn light at this unearthly time?_

"They've kidnapped them!" Annabeth exclaimed.

I bolted upright. She had my attention now. "_What?_ Who?"

"The satyrs came in the middle of the night - and they've abducted three demigods." My sister said hurriedly.

"You're _kidding._" My jaw dropped. "How would you know? Were you there?"

"Radcliffe left a ransom note. Chiron just discovered it a few minutes ago when he went for his morning coffee."

"Who'd they take?" Concern rose in my throat. What if they'd taken one of my friends?

"The counselors are trying to find out right now. We're going around doing head counts and cabin checks."

"So everyone's here - so far?" I asked hopefully.

"As of now, yes. No one's missing in Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Demeter, Aphrodite, Nemesis, and Nike."

I calculated it in my head. Okay, so Mackenzie, Tori, and Kasey were still here. That left the possibility of Jessica, James, Tatiana, and Lizzy.

Just then, Clarisse La Rue, the counselor of the Ares cabin, popped her head in to tell us that everyone in Ares was safe and sound. Okay, so Lizzy was good.

And so was Jessica, who waltzed in right after Clarisse.

"Oh, thank gods, you're here too." I sighed in relief as Jessica plopped down on my bed next to Annabeth.

"Yeah. Who else is here?"

I ticked off on my fingers. "Lizzy, you, Mackenzie, Tori, and Kasey.

"What about James?" Jessica looked down, twirling a loose thread of my sheets around her finger.

"Percy just went to check on the Hades cabin." Annabeth informed us. "Speak of the devil." We all looked up as Percy walked in. My heart fell. The expression on his face wasn't good.

"Bad news." He said, confirming my fears.

"What?" Jessica asked shrilly.

"Nico's gone." Percy pronounced. Oh, _phew_. Jessica literally slumped with relief, and I felt myself let out the breath that I'd unknowingly been holding.

"Thank the Gods." I breathed. "I thought it was Burns."

"Oh, and like it's any better that my one and only brother got abducted by goat-men?" James stormed in, clearly flustered and upset.

"Uh, yeah, it's a _hell _of a lot better." I answered without thinking, but I quickly recoiled and offered a quiet apology when James gave me a glare that could've killed - literally.

"Hey, Annabeth, Chiron wants all of the counselors up at the Big House for reports." Percy said.

"Alright. James, you'd better come too, since Nico's gone." Annabeth got up.

"Okay." James said, almost mournful. As much as I rejoiced in the fact that Nico had disappeared, I still felt sorry for James. It must be hard to lose a family member. And those two had been pretty close.

"Hey, I'm coming too." I jumped up as Jessica, Annabeth, Percy, and James made way for the door. "I don't want to get left behind."

* * *

Chiron looked around the table grimly. "Alright, let's have it, then. Who's got someone missing in their cabin?"

James, some pudgy guy I didn't know, and (oh no) Will Solace raised their hands.

My heart raced as I stared at the Apollo cabin's counselor. _Oh gods, not Tatiana. _

Chiron's eyes narrowed. "Why is it," He asked, his eyes darting between James and the pudgy guy, "that your counselors aren't present?"

"They're gone." The pudgy guy replied.

Chiron blew out a breath, and ran a hand through his hair. "Pollux is gone?"

The pudgy kid nodded.

"Oh dear. Dionysus isn't going to take this very well." Chiron turned. "And Will, who's missing from your cabin?"

"Alex Solstice." Will pronounced grimly. Down the table, I saw Anne Swift start, her eyes widening.

Kasey wasn't going to take this too well, either.

* * *

"I'm going after them." Kasey announced, heading for the door.

"What -! No! Kasey, where do you think you're going?" I grabbed her elbow, alarmed.

"I'm going to the Armory to stock up. "

"Kasey, you're out of your mind!" I rounded on Percy. "Jackson, tell your sister that she's out of her mind."

"She's always out of her mind." Percy said, not averting his eyes from the documentary feature on dolphins. "I'm not going to waste my breath telling her."

I grabbed a blue throw pillow and chucked it at his head.

_"What!_" Percy snapped, turning around.

"Percy, your sister is running off by herself to chase after a horde of kidnappers. Aren't you going to stop her?"

Percy looked around. "Where is she, anyways?"

I turned around and groaned. Kasey had given me the slip.

* * *

I raked the camp looking for that girl, along with the help of my friends, but Kasey was nowhere to be found. Finally, we bumped into Anne Swift, who informed us that Kasey had already left the camp with just her necklace, a sword, a shield, and a backpack. Wow. Way to be levelheaded, Fish Face.

"I tried to talk her out of it, I really did!" Anne insisted. "But she wouldn't listen to a single word I said."

I sighed. That was Kasey for you.

"She _does_ know that she has no idea where she's going, right?" Jessica said as we headed over to the House to tell Chiron.

"Kasey's always so rash in her actions." Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "She should use that nonexistent brain of hers sometime."

"Oh, hello." Chiron looked up from a letter he was reading as we walked onto the porch. "Can I help you with anything?"

Jessica quickly explained our predicament to Chiron, who sighed deeply.

"We're really sorry that we had to give you something else to worry about on top of everything else." Tatiana bit her lip.

"It's alright, I suppose. It's just one of those days." Chiron gave a tired smile. "But I supposed it all had to happen eventually."

"What do you mean by that?" Mackenzie frowned.

"Your quest is finally beginning, my dear friends." Chiron said. "I suppose you should start off by going after Ms. Tydall."

"_Finally!_" Lizzy exclaimed, high-fiving James. "I've been waiting for this damn quest to start for _eternity_."

"But we have no idea which direction Kasey's gone." Tatiana noted.

"You will have to figure that out for yourself." Chiron said. "But here, take this." He handed Jessica the letter he'd been reading earlier. "This might help you."

"What is it?" She asked.

James glanced over the shoulder, then his eyes widened in realization. "It must be that ransom note that the satyrs left."

Chiron nodded. Jessica read aloud:

"_To Dionysus, God of Wine, Ecstasy, and the Enslavement of Satyrs:_

_An eye for an eye. In response to your keeping Grover Underwood as hostage, we have taken three of your demigod campers - and I'm sure you will take an especial interest in the welfare of a certain one. They are being held in a secret location, and will remain completely unharmed if you comply to our terms. _

_By midnight on June 14th, we expect our Lord of the Wild to be returned to us safe and sound. We will meet him in Central Park, at the Christopher Columbus statue at the southern end of the Mall. If he has so much of a scratch, we shall call off the deal. _

_By the same date, you must make a written and signed compliance to negotiating satyr rights with the Administration of the Satyr Strike and the Council of Cloven Elders. Deliver this written statement with Grover. Once it is received, arrangements will be made with Olympus for a meeting between you and our representatives. _

_We are being generous and giving you a full week to fulfill these terms. If they are not carried out by the deadline, only the Gods know what we shall do to your demigods. Considering who we have chosen as our hostages, I am afraid this is an offer you cannot refuse. _

_Sincerely,_

_Radcliffe Heathens  
President of the Administration of the Satyr Strike._"

I glanced at the folded note. Where the signature would've been, there was a muddy hoofprint.

"Well." James remarked. "That's friendly."

"Has Mr. D seen this?" Jessica waved the note around.

"Yes." Chiron answered. "In fact, you guys might want to go in to see him. I think he wants a few words before you guys leave."

We found the century-old Olympian god sitting on the couch, surrounded by empty cans of Bud Light, his bloodshot eyes unmoving.

"Mr. D?" Tatiana said tentatively.

He grunted noncommittally, taking another sip of beer.

"Mr. D, don't you have restrictions?" Mackenzie reminded.

"Oh, screw restrictions." Mr. D crumpled up the now-empty aluminum can and threw it on the ground. If Grover had been here, he would've had a buffet.

"Mr. D, I understand you must be very upset -" Tatiana began.

"Upset?" Dionysus laughed. It was such a dismal, hollow sound, I actually felt sorry for him. "_Upset_? Nah. I'm just -" He sighed, popping open another can.

"Look, Mr. D, everything's going to be fine." Jessica reassured. "We're going after the satyrs right now. Once we find them, we'll be able to bring back the demigods, safe and sound."

"And if worse comes to worse," James said. "The demands made by the satyrs can still be met. All you have to do is agree to meet with them for negotiations."

Mr. D nodded, seeing the reason within our words. "Yes, I supposed that's right."

Seeing as there was nothing else to say, we turned around and made way for the door. It was time to start stocking up for the quest at hand.

Just as we were about to leave the room, Dionysus spoke.

"Children?"

"Yes?" We turned around.

"Promise," He began, his voice a bit hoarse. Dionysus cleared his throat. "Promise, no matter what happens, you will bring back my son completely unharmed?"

"Sure. We promise." Mackenzie said.

"On your oath?" Dionysus' beady black eyes pierced ours.

"We swear on the River Styx, Pollux will return to you unharmed." James pronounced.

An ominous thunder rumbled across the sky.

* * *

I stuffed everything I could fit inside my gray school backpack. On-the-go toiletries, a hundred dollars in cash, twenty of those gold drachma coins, changes of clothes, Exi Phi, a worn copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, my flashlight, my Demmies manual, my favorite red Moleskine journal, and my lifeline - a sleek silver Lenovo S10 Ideapad. I knew it seemed a bit much, but I had a pretty good feeling that our quest would consist of more than a hostage rescue mission. Sadly, I had to leave my LG Chocolate Touch on my bedside table - Chiron said cell phones gave off traces. Best not to bring it on a quest.

Considering I'd managed to fit all my supplies in one average-size backpack, my jaw dropped when I saw what Mackenzie was lugging.

"What, are you planning on circumnavigating the world or something?" Jessica blurted.

Mackenzie sniffed, offended. "What's wrong with being prepared?"

"Prepared." James said blatantly as he circled Mackenzie assessingly. "A Louis Vuitton suitcase, a Burberry duffel bag, and a Victoria's Secret tote. Prepared all right. For the New York fall season trunk show."

"You're not going like that." Lizzy declared.

"Why not?" Mackenzie protested indignantly.

"Why not?" Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "Your Louis isn't exactly very handy when your in the middle of battling it out with Greek monsters."

With that, I sat Mackenzie down on her pink four-poster bed, and we tore apart her luggage.

"What are you doing?" Mackenzie cried out as I tossed out her whole makeup bag.

"See all of this?" I gestured towards all the crap she had packed. "You need to fit all of that inside of this." I raised up a purple Swiss Army mountain-climbing pack.

"Are. You. Serious?" Mackenzie shrieked. "That's as big as my cosmetics case alone!"

"I know." Lizzy said, her lips pressed in a straight line. "That's why you're not bringing it."

We ignored Mackenzie's laments as we stripped down her supplies to the bare minimum - the basic toiletries, money, her iPod touch, a minimum change of clothes, and, just because we didn't want to torture her, we allowed Mac room to store a bottle of foundation, a tube of lipgloss, and a stick of eyeliner.

"I can't believe you guys are doing this." She pouted as Tati handed her the purple backpack.

"Oh, we are _so_ doing this." Lizzy said as she shrugged on her own combat backpack.

* * *

"Hey," Annabeth said softly as we trudged up towards the property line. "Be careful out there, okay? I don't want to lose my super-cool younger sister just a week after I've met her."

"You won't." I smiled half-heartedly.

"Look," Annabeth laid a hand on my shoulder, as if reading my emotions. "If you've got any of your mother in you, you'll be fine. There's nothing to be scared of."

"Yeah." I nodded, still not entirely convinced.

Annabeth pulled me into a comforting hug, which reassured me a bit.

Percy, Grover, and Chiron had also come to see us off.

"Look." Percy said darkly. "When you see my sister, tell her I hope she doesn't come back from the quest in one piece."

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded, smacking him on the chest. "What's come over you? She's your sister!"

Percy shot Annabeth a dark look. "Did you _see_ what she did? She short-circuited my flat-screen LCD television! Do you have any idea what that thing _cost_? That was my present from Dad for being a war hero, and she completely busted it!"

My sister and I shared an exasperated look.

"Good luck, you guys. I really hope you end this ridiculous "hostage" game soon." Grover said, clutching to his reed pipes nervously. "But, hey, can you guys do me a favor and try not to hurt too many of my kinsmen along the way?"

"No problem, Grover." Jessica promised.

Just as we were getting ready to head down to the van where Argus was waiting, a cry stopped us from behind.

"Wait up!" We all turned around to see Tori flying uphill - literally - in her black Converse, lugging a worn blue backpack and her caduceus.

"Tori!" Tatiana ran to hug her. "You're coming?"

"Well, of course I'm coming, you idiots. I'm your protector, after all." Tori smiled widely as she planted her feet flat on the ground. The flapping whit wings on her shoes shrank back.

As we all crammed ourselves into the van, Chiron gave Jessica one last pat on the back. "Good luck to all eight of you. May Zephyr guide your path."

Whatever that meant. Before I knew it, we were racing down the country road. I glanced out the back window until Thalia's pine tree soon shrank into a tiny dot. And then - nothing.

* * *

We'd decided that Central Park was the place to start, since that was the only location that had been revealed in the ransom note. They must have had some satyrs posted there just in case we delivered Grover earlier than expected.

After Argus dropped us off at 5th Avenue (bad idea . . . .remember, we had Mackenzie in tow), we took a nostalgic stroll in the peaceful lanes of the park, enjoying the wonderful summer weather. The foliage was amazing this time of year - not quite as pretty as summer, but much more alive. The leaves glowed with vertigo, seemingly overflowing on the tree branches. Curious, brazen squirrels dared to dart around our sneakers. Birds twittered madly, joining in on the chorus. With each hill I passed, I fought the growing urge to climb over all of its rocks and boulders. Central Park just had this magic that could make you forget even the most stressful of situations - even if it was just for a minute. No wonder it was so popular. Clearly, these uptight New York businesspeople needed an escape from tight contracts and impossible schedules.

I sighed as we passed Bethesda Fountain. I wondered where Kasey was now . . . .

We took a turn south towards the Mall. My anxiety grew, and my nerves became more jumpy. With my senses on overdrive, I began to imagine things. Moving branches. Whispering trees. Flickering shadows. Clearly, these were all simply caused by the wind. But still . . .the uneasy feeling in my stomach didn't go away.

Finally, the wide open lane of the mall opened up before us. It was oddly empty for a Friday. The only people present was an old man with a graying beard, sitting cross-legged on a bench reading a newspaper, and a pudgy denim-clad lady walking her Chihuahua.

"Alright, now that we're here, where's ol' Columbus?" James asked.

"Down there." Tori pointed straight ahead. "Due south."

We walked down the wide path, large elms and literary tributes bordering us on both sides. At the very end, a tall, gray, stone monument dominated the mall. It depicted a man wearing fifteenth-century style clothing, holding a Spanish flag. Behind him was one of those knob things you use to tie a boat to a dock - a capstan.

COLUMBUS, the engraved pedestal proclaimed.

"You know, its funny, how this Spanish bloke has been recognized for discovering America, but in the end, its the Brits that end up with the states." James said smugly as he neared the statue.

"Okay, you got so many things wrong in that statement." I was quick to correct. "First off - _DI IMMORTALES!_"

The stone rope engraved around the capstan had unraveled and shot out, snaking around all of our ankles. Before we knew what was happening, all seven of us were hanging upside down, bound by marble to Christopher Columbus' chest.


	14. The House

_"This is not a crime to be taken lightly. It's an arson crime - and because of the nature of this crime,  
someone could also be charged with domestic terrorism as well."_

_-Brian Crawford_

"THOSE DAMN _SATYRS_!"

Lizzy and James promptly took the opportunity to loudly voice every expletive they'd ever learned - in Greek, English, and even a bit of Italian - giving me more of a headache than I already had from banging my head against the cold, hard marble. Oh, and plus, there seemed to be a broken pencil stuck in my shorts pocket, and it was starting to poke my leg. Ouch. I really had to get rid of my shoves-it-in-my-pocket-and-forgets-about-it habit.

"Will you two _shut it_, for _once_!" Jessica snapped. If I could've, I would've hugged her for saying my exact thoughts, but in case you haven't noticed, my arms were a bit tied up at the moment.

"Yes, please." Mackenzie sighed. "I'm uncomfortable enough with all the blood rushing into my head."

The two sailor mouths sheepishly mumbled their apologies.

"Look, the one thing we need to do right now is keep ourselves levelheaded." I said as calmly as I could. "If we can think clearly we can get out of here faster."

"I agree completely." Tatiana said from beside me.

"Well, it's rather hard to think properly in this position." Tori grimaced. "My legs are hurting like Hades and my head feels heavier than a hellhound."

"We all know where you're coming from, Wings." Tatiana said sympathetically.

I wriggled my against the marble cuffs that had wrapped around my ankles. _Yow_. Those were going to leave some nasty bruises."Lizzy, where's your axe?" Maybe we could hack off the stone.

"Right here - I've got it in my hand." Lizzy attempted to shift her arm a bit under the stiff, unmoving stone ropes. "Can't unsheath it, though. The other blade'll cut through me and Tori."

"Never mind." An uncomfortable pressure was gathering at my temples. I wondered if my shield would have enough strength to bust the marble, then nearly cried out in frustration when I realized that I couldn't reach the knob on the watch face.

And I couldn't seem to remember where I'd put _Exi Phi_. Talk about having your weapons handy.

"Oh look, one of the pedestrians is coming!" Mackenzie said hopefully. I peered the curtain of my dark hair to see the woman walking her dog from before. "She'll call for help when she sees this, won't she?"

"_If_ she sees this." James reminded darkly. "There's Mist covering up stuff, remember?"

But the woman did see us. In fact, she stopped right in front of us and stared.

"Help! Help!" Tatiana called out, struggling against her ties.

"Please help us!" Tori pleaded.

"Yeah, call the police or something!" I yelled.

"Oh, I don't think there's any need for that." The woman said sweetly, smiling widely, a forked tongue flicking between her lips. "I think I can take care of you darlings myself."

Woah, woah, woah - _forked tongue_?

It must've been a trick of the eyes - I _was _viewing her upside down, after all.  
But I _definitely _didn't imagine what happened next, as much as I wish I did.

The lady's Chihuahua started barking like crazy, yanking on its leash and attempting to climb the statue. It growled and snapped its jaws as it jumped up at us.

"Uhm -" Jessica looked at us nervously through her hair. "What -?"

Mackenzie's blue eyes widened as the dog's teeth came dangerously close to her hanging locks. "Miss?" She addressed the dog's owner in a panicked voice. "Do you think you could control your dog for a moment, please?"

A flash of something I couldn't read passed over the woman's strange yellow eyes "Oh, but of course." She clapped her hands at the dog. "C'mere, sonny." The Chihuahua immediately leapt into her generous bosom, but his high-pitched yapping didn't cease.

"My fault, dears." The fat lady apologized as she patted her dog affectionately. "My son here get's awfully excited when he gets a whiff of -"Her creeper smile stretched even wider, revealing fangs. "Fresh demigods."

An unpleasant shiver ran down my back, and I could feel Tatiana and Tori stiffening beside me. Who _was_ this woman?

As if to answer my unspoken question, the fat woman rolled up the sleeves of her denim jacket. I shuddered as I saw her scaly, green arms. Like a reptile. "Perhaps you've heard of me. My name is Echidna -"

"You're the Mother of Monsters." I instinctively cut in, racking my brain for other facts I'd read up in _Modern Mythology for Demmies_. "Your husband's Typhon, and you guys basically procreated all of the most terrifying creatures in history. Like the Nemean Lion and the Hydra, for example."

"Well." Echidna looked at me appraisingly. "Looks like at least _one_ of you knows what you're doing."

"Not to be rude," James said rather rudely, "But what business have you got here with us?"

"Insolent, dimwitted children!" Echidna clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Perhaps I should give in to the desperate pleas of my son and let him teach you a lesson." She glanced at the Chihuahua that was barking incessantly in her arms.

"Your Chihuahua . . . ." I glanced at the dog warily. "It wouldn't happen to be -"

"A Chimera dear, not a Chihuahua." Echidna corrected.

"What the hell's a Chimera?" Lizzy blurted.

"Well, it's a - um." I started, then gulped as the "dog" jumped down from Echidna's arms and blew up to its full size. "It's _that_." I finished bleakly, for lack of a better explanation.

The monster was approximately the size of an African mountain lion, and it had the head of one, too. It's body looked like one that belonged to some sort of mutant, oversized goat, and it had a massive, python-sized snake tail. A huge dog tag hung from its rhinestone collar, which I read with much difficulty upside down.

EXT. 954.  
IF FOUND PLEASE CALL TARTARUS  
RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS  
CHIMERA

Very cute in the face, though it could do with some grooming. Otherwise, it'd make a great house pet.

_Like hell._

The Chimera gave a nasty snarl and breathed a huge stream of fire that narrowly missed our heads, arousing screams from all of us. The smell of singed hair was revolting. If we didn't do something soon, we'd all get turned into demigod á la roast.

_Wait a minute . . . . ._The gears in my brain started turning.

"Hey!" Mackenzie snapped angrily. Now, see, her temper comes out when you endanger the hair. "What do you think your Chimera's doing?"

Echidna cackled. "Just showing some nasty little demigods what might happen to them if they decide to stick their noses into places where they don't belong." There goes her flickering tongue. "Tricky, deceiving demons, the lot of you. Just like your parents - you could never trust something on a god's word. You were supposed to show up with your hostage, but _he _certainly doesn't seem to be in sight, does he?"

Her eyes glowed with anger, clashing with her wicked smile. "I suppose you think you can just waltz in, take back your friends, and cheat us all?" She put her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm here to make sure that's not going to happen."

While she was talking, I snuck a brief glance at the old guy that I'd seen sitting on the bench earlier, wondering if he noticed our predicament. I was surprised to see that he was watching us out of the corner of his eye with an expression of mild amusement. At first I was confused, but then everything clicked when I noticed the familiar-looking rasta cap perched on top of his curling hair. Great. Another nemesis to face.

Lizzy brought my attention back to the problem at hand. "Oh, please, Amphibian Lady, it takes more than you and your Beverley Hills Chimera to take all seven of us down!"

God, that girl really needed to reign her temper in. Said Amphibian Lady was looking a bit pissed. My hand inched towards my front pocket, straining under the stone encasing my body.

"Excuse me, sweetheart." Echidna said in a dangerously low voice, her eyes narrowing. "I believe you need to be taught some manners."

Oh, Styx, we were _in _for it. I could feel the first wave of panic seeping into my brain - when my hand touched on something slender and cool. _Aha_. I carefully slid it out of my pocket, then forcefully elbowed Tori under the ropes. _Caduceus. _I mouthed, giving her a meaningful look.

Out of the corner of my mouth, I saw Mr. Chimera was starting to foam at the mouth . . . .I didn't think this was a good sign.

Tori frowned at first, then after I quickly whispered a few other words to her, she nodded, slipping a familiar-looking blue pencil out of a side compartment in her backpack.

A nasty snarl was gathering at the back of the monster's throat.

I waited until I made sure Tori and I were both ready, then I started the silent count. _Three._ I fingered the silver knob on my compass. _Two_. . .I tilted it upwards, making sure I wasn't going to accidentally stab anyone in the neck. Because that would be rather sad.

_And . . . . ._

Just as the cuddly little Chimera was about to _really _create some problems, there was an explosion of rock and dust, and the stone encasing Tori and I crumbled off, so we ended up tumbling to the ground headfirst. _Great gargoyles, _that really didn't help my migraine.

When I managed to upright myself, I could see the other five wriggling out of the rope's grasp. The huge hole Tori and I had blasted in the rope cocoon was causing a chain of cracks and fissures in the rest of the marble, making it easier for them to break away. I looked over at my partner in crime, who was carefully handling her transfigured chainsaw, and when she met my gaze, we both gave each other a thumbs-up.

But I really shouldn't have been admiring my handiwork while there was a pissed off Chimera getting ready to sink it's rabid and poisonous jaws into my neck. I immediately whipped around and gave _Exi Phi _a nice, good swing, then felt a little nauseous when a severed white fang plopped on the pavement , hissing with acid. Like, double _ew._ That was just repulsive.

"Jackie, watch out!" Lizzy said scrambling up from the pedestal. My head snapped up, to find one fang-less Chimera rearing back on its hind legs in pain and anger, getting ready to trample me to death with its goat hooves. I tried scrambling out of the way before he fell on me, but it knocked me to the ground with its huge snake-tail. Just as I was looking up at the Chimera's massive shaggy form, sure that I was done for, Lizzy did a huge running leap straight onto the monster's back, and somehow managed to give a nice slice to the neck with her axe, while clinging onto its fur tightly with her other hand.

Well, she _was _the daughter of Ares.

The Chimera's figure immediately dissolved, and Lizzy tumbled to the ground. "Thanks, Hothead." I exhaled gratefully as we shared a quick Jackie-Lizzy handshake (which I've finally mastered) before a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. There was the sound of leaves rustling and wings flapping as all the birds flew out of the trees.

Oh, Echidna was madder than Tartarus when she saw that her son had just disintegrated. She clapped her hands together twice, and two, long, double-ended spears appeared in her hands, their points wickedly sharp. Echidna went for revenge, stabbing at Lizzy. There was a nasty _clang_ as spearpoint met axe. James jumped in on Echidna's other side, parrying her second spear with his scythe. I have to say, Echidna was one hell of a swordswoman.

There was a shriek followed by a dull thud. I whipped around to see the disguised satyr jump into the brawl with his walking cane, sparring with Tatiana's blade comb.

I rushed to help her, when I was suddenly pulled back by my elbow. "Watch out!" Mackenzie warned.

I started when I suddenly saw that right in front of us, a huge, purplish form was beginning to materialize out of wisps of smoke. As it grew thicker, Tatiana became completely obscured from view. The thing started taking form, towering upwards and casting a noticeable shadow over us. Shapes and features slowly carved themselves out of the plumes. A head there. An eye there. A claw there. It kept climbing up and up. Mackenzie, Tori, and I craned our necks to get a better look, and then our mouths all formed the same word (well, Mackenzie didn't actually say it).

"Shit."

Because who would Echidna have just summoned out of Tartarus to help obliterate us?

The Hydra, that's who. The fricking _Lernaean Hydra_.

This was so unfair, when you think about it. I mean, seven against three? _Please_.

All fourteen of its beady eyes pierced us. I have to say, I was more terrified than I'd ever been. EVER. Because this thing wasn't like the gargoyles. Or even the Chimera.

This thing was _huge_. It's seven necks snaked and intertwined, each as thick as a tree trunk. It's claws were as long as sabers, and could've easily decapitated a demigod. The monster had at least twenty feet on the tallest tree in the area, its ferocious heads bobbing up and down like those of snakes. And did I mention it looked as mean as Hades?

"Don'tbreathein-poisonousbreath!" I managed before one of the heads swooped down with an open jaw, trying to get a bite out of one of us. I immediately hit the ground, covering my nose and mouth with my shirt, and I saw the other two had imitated me.

"STOP!" I yelled as Tori tried to slice at the swinging neck. "If you cut off one head, two more will grow back!"

"Oh!" She cried. "I knew that!"

Mackenzie scrambled up, pulling a handful of barettes from her hair, and flung them upwards. With an audible _squish_, the four shurikens managed to lodge themselves into two pairs of pupil-less, black eyes. The Hydra roared with anger, clawing at its blinded eyes.

"Nice one, Stupid Cupid." Tori complimented, both of us getting back up, before a lion's roar tore across the Mall. I looked around, confused. I thought we'd gotten rid of the Chimera . . . . .?

I found my question answered when a huge fissure appeared in the pavement, and a massive, golden lion leapt out of it before the abyss closed. Jessica, who'd been helping Tati with the satyr, leapt into the air as it charged towards her and landed on its back.

Nemean lion, Nemean lion . . . .Chapter 12 of _Demmies._

"It's fur is practically indestructible!" I yelled to Jessica over the sounds of weapons clanging. "It can only be killed by being shot or stabbed in the mouth!" I paused and ducked when I saw a huge Hydra claw make a threatening swipe at our heads. A well-aimed swing with the chainsaw allowed Tori to sever off its hand before the sheathed claws turned us into shish-kabobs.

"Gross!" Mackenzie and I chorused as the three-foot long, gnarly-looking limb fell at our feet.

"Oh, get _over _it!" Tori groaned as she swiped at a Hydra jaw, breathing into her other elbow.

Mackenzie proceeded to try to blind a few more of its heads, and I managed to place sever a few of its toes. Apparently, that doesn't help much but provoke the darned thing even _more_. A ferocious head shot down, dying to sink its teeth into a piece of demigod. I did the first thing that came to my mind. Grabbing _Exi Phi_ by both hands, I jabbed the sword upwards, straight into the roof of the Hydra's mouth, and held my breath as the monster wheezed in pain.

Suddenly, I felt the ground disappear from under me. To my severe alarm, I realized that I was being pulled into the air as the Hydra raised its head. My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword, which was still lodged inside its flesh.

Things were not looking so good from up here. Jessica was trying to strangle a bucking Nemean Lion to no avail. Tatiana was still struggling with the satyr, who'd discarded the cane and had taken out a set of reed pipes. When he started playing, the branches in the nearby trees and plants would stretch out and ensnare her ankles and arms, and all the squirrels, birds, and butterflies would swarm at her feet and attack her. Lizzy and James were doing their best as well, but Echidna was quite a master with those spears. She was twirling them around her hands like batons, so fast they were almost two blurs. When James had let his guard down for a split second, Echidna managed to give him a nasty cut along his jaw.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that I was dangling from a sword about seventy feet in the air?

_Zeus, please don't let my sword dislodge now. _I prayed as my hands started sweating. My backpack dug into my shoulders, seeming to weigh more than it had before. Horrible images of me falling to a painful death filled my head, and I forced myself to shove them out. _Think happy thoughts_,_Jackie. Happy thoughts._

"Jackie!" I heard a distant shout. I glanced down to see Tori shooting upwards, her shoes flapping for all they were worth. "I'm coming for you!"

A wave of relief washed over me, only to be followed by a sinking feeling in my stomach when Tori was intercepted by an aggressive Hydra head. It's thick neck crashed into her side, flinging her off path. The force of the impact was so strong, for a moment, I thought Tori was going to be knocked out, but thankfully, after a few seconds of hanging limply in midair, she darted back into the tangle of Hydra necks, only to be confronted with another Hydra head that was angrily hissing. She quickly covered her face with her shirt and sawed off a good portion of its black tongue, spewing green blood everywhere.

Meanwhile, I was concentrating on trying not to lose my grip on the sword. My hands were starting to get really, really slippery. I distracted myself by checking on everyone else's progress again, since I had a pretty good view from here. Lizzy had gotten a cut too, on her knee, and she and James pretty much had no chance of disarming Echidna, who was backing them up to the trees. Just when I thought Echidna had them for good, Lizzy pulled out a familiar looking handgun and shot a celestial bronze bullet (yes, thank _you_ Hephaestus cabin) straight to her scaly heart. An earsplitting screech erupted as the Mother of Monsters was blown away into the wind, like sawdust. Well, that's one down. Three to go. (Technically nine, if you're counting heads.)

Now that those two had their hands free, they went to assist Tatiana. With three against one, surely it wouldn't take too long to overtake the satyr. Hopefully they'd have the brains to keep him alive for questioning.

Mackenzie was still helping out with her shurikens, but she must've accidentally taken a breath while the Hydra heads were too close, because she was looking a bit woozy. My suspicions proved true when I saw her collapse to the ground. _Great_. We had an operative down.

Before I could see what Jessica was up to, a shriek tore out of my throat as I was forcefully swung upward. I gripped the hilt of _Exi Phi _for my dear life. The Hydra let out a massive roar, its gust of hot, poisonous breath making my eyes burn and water. Gods, I was going to fall for sure. I glanced down at Tori, who was still at least twenty feet below, trying to hack past two persistent heads that were snapping at her winged feet.

Then I noticed a third head coming in from below, out of Tori's line of vision. It was heading straight up with its mouth wide open, ready to capture Tori between its fangs. I prepared to shout a warning, but I had a feeling it was going to be too late.

Just as the Hydra's jaws were about to enclose her, there was a sudden tremor that spread throughout the monster's body. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the still-quivering lightning bolt lodged dead in center of the Hydra's chest. I looked down at Jessica, standing down there on the ground, her bow still raised in position. The Nemean lion was nowhere in sight. Fates, that girl had good aim.

And then the Hydra disappeared into nothingness. I suddenly became aware that I was falling, _Exi Phi _still clutched tightly in my hands. I was dropping pretty fast too. Suddenly, I felt the free-fall stop with a painful jolt. Tori had caught me just in time, and she flew us down and landed smoothly onto the pavement strewn with blood and monster parts.

"Thanks, Wings." I breathed gratefully. "Oh, and we're all glad you have a killer shot, Bolt."

"No problem, Owl Child." Jessica re-strapped her bow, looking around. "Now, where's that satyr?"

"Oi! Over here, mate!" James cried, dragging over a reluctant-looking goat-man while Lizzy held the barrel of her gun to his temple. Both of their scratches were turning a nasty shade of green. I suspected poison-tipped spears had come into play. Tatiana was slicing the last of the vines that were binding her feet.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at the satyr. "What's your name?"

"Hawthorne." He replied grumpily. "Hawthorne Birchley."

"Do you know where they've hidden the kidnapped hostages?"

His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "I might. I might not."

Lizzy gave a forceful jab with her gun. "You might want to rethink your answer."

Hawthorne huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Yes, I know where they are."

Jessica raised an eyebrow, then nodded."Alright. That's good enough - for the time being." She sighed as she turned around. "Right now, I believe we've got something urgent we need to take care of." She gestured a hand towards an unconscious Mackenzie, who was lying a little ways behind us, shurikens still in hand.

"Oh, gods." Tori and Tatiana immediately went and knelt down by her sides. "How do we fix this?" Tatiana whispered.

An uneasy feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I decided not to remind them that the Hydra's poison was usually deadly.

I squatted next to Tati, and took a good look on Mackenzie's state. She looked so peaceful, she could've been sleeping. Except for the scratches on her elbow and the disturbing absence of any signs of respiration. I waved my hand in front of her nose, but I couldn't feel anything.

"She's not breathing." I pronounced grimly.

"Styx, what're we supposed to do?" Jessica groaned, putting her hands to her face stressfully. She and Mac were pretty close - I could understand how she was feeling. "Does anyone know CPR?"

"CPR's not going to work, smarts." Lizzy snapped. "That's only for people who are drowning."

"Well sor_ry!_" Jessica replied in a similar manner.

"Guys!" Tatiana yelled. "Shut _up _so we can actually fix this!"

Tori was going to work with her caduceus, poking and prodding at her head, neck, and stomach. Nothing was happening.

"Gah! Tati, you try something!" Tori huffed, throwing her caduceus down.

"I haven't got an idea what to do!" Tatiana said, panic in her voice. She laid a hand on Mackenzie's forehead, then, when that didn't work, she slapped her cheeks a few times.

"What the blazes are you _doing_?" James asked incredulously.

Tati flushed with anger and stood up. "Well, if you're so bright, then why don't you tell us how you're going to bring Mackenzie back from the dead?"

"First of all," James raised an eyebrow, "I'm pretty sure I _can _bring people back from the dead." Okay, that _so _wasn't true. "Second of all, Mac's definitely not dead . . . .yet."

Very reassuring. "And how do you know anyways?" I asked.

"Nico said that when people near me die, I ought to hear a faint ringing sound in my ears or something." James shrugged. "Well, at least that's what happens to _him_."

Oh, yes, _completely _reassuring. Take Nico di Idiot's word for it. "Well, if she's not dead yet, she'll be dead soon enough if we don't figure out how in_Hades _we can reverse the poison."

"Have you dimwits ever tried a bezoar?" A bored voice drawled. We started and turned around - I'd almost completely forgotten about the satyr that Lizzy had at gunpoint.

"What's a bezoar?" Tatiana asked curiously.

"It's a stone taken from - ironically - a goat's belly." I answered, glancing at Hawthorne. "Stuff it down someone's throat, and it serves as the universal antidote to all poisons." I recalled the facts from my _Demmies _manual, and - weirdly enough - the Harry Potter books.

"Have you got one handy?" James demanded the satyr.

"I might." Hawthorne cocked his head. "If your friend here would so kindly remove her pistol from my head for a few seconds, it's possible I could find one for you."

Lizzy lowered her gun warily. Then Hawthorne did the most disgusting thing _ever_. He reached into his throat and touched his uvula, which threw him into a fit of violent retches. After a second or two, he threw up a mango-sized rock into his hands.

"That's _primal_." Jessica wrinkled her nose. "And you're not even a full goat, by the way."

"Well, beggars can't be choosers." Hawthorne sneered as he shoved the bezoar towards Jess, who held it at a careful arms-length.

"I don't have some sort of disease, you know!" Hawthorne yelled indignantly.

"Whatever." Jessica kneeled next to Mackenzie's shoulder. I pried open her mouth, then cringed as Jessica pushed the bezoar down her throat. Really gross.

For a few scary seconds, nothing happened. Then -

"She blinked!" Tatiana cried jubilantly. Sure enough, I saw Mackenzie's brown eyelashes flutter. Sighs of relief echoed from all around.

When her blue eyes finally opened, she looked around at us curiously. Suddenly, her eyes bulged and she jolted up into sitting position, dissolving into a fit of asthmatic coughs.

"Can't - breathe -" She wheezed. With a hairball-inducing hack rivaling that of a Siamese cat, she eventually spit out the bezoar. Mackenzie gasped for air, then her eyes landed on what she'd been choking on.

"Now _what - _in great _gods_ - is _that?_" She stared blankly at the stone.

"It saved your life, be grateful, your half-blood brat." Hawthorne said bitterly. "Now, do you guys plan on going after your hostages sometime soon, or are we going to stand around all day exchanging pleasantries?"

* * *

"Eight tickets for the three o' clock southbound to Washington, D.C, please." Jessica spoke to the clerk at the Grand Central ticket counter through the microphone. The young woman gave us a strange look from behind the ticket window. I didn't blame her - we must've been quite a sight. Seven backpack-lugging teenagers that looked like they'd been dragged through the Amazon by Bernese tigers and a shifty-looking old man with a limp were _bound _to arouse attention. And the conspicuous-looking bow strapped to Jessica's back didn't really help the whole "normal" thing. Good thing we'd gotten rid of those nasty green scars James and Lizzy had earlier. They were starting to get infected when Tori put her caduceus to use.

"Uhm, yes." The clerk replied with uncertainty. "Would that be round-trip or one way?"

"One way."

"Seven students, one senior?" Hawthorne stiffened at the reference.

"I'm not _old_!" He hissed under his breath. "It's just the beard!"

Jessica ignored him. "That's right."

"All right," The clerk punched a few numbers into her computer. "That comes to . . . . $508.22. Debit or credit?"

"Cash, actually - if you don't mind." Jessica replied to an astonished clerk. She looked back at us."C'mon, dish out, people." There was a scuffle of backpacks unzipping, pocket fumbling, and the sound of greenbacks being counted. I peeled off the proper denominations from my wallet, and passed it up to Jessica, who slid all the bills under the window.

"U-um." The poor clerk was overwhelmed. "I don't think - erm - well -"

"Is there a problem?" James asked suavely, his small smile not matching his cold, intimidating eyes.

The clerk blinked at his British accent. "Um, no, of course not." She answered timidly. "Just wait for a moment for your change, please."

When we turned to leave after collecting our change and tickets, I saw the clerk pick up a phone and dial, while sneaking glances at our backs. I elbowed my friends.

"Guys!" I said in a low voice, "I think she's calling the authorities - look!"

The others turned to see. "What for?" Tori wondered.

"She probably thinks we're runaways, or something." Tatiana reasoned.

"That _would _make sense." Hawthorne mused. "You lot _do _look like a horde of delinquents, after all."

"Thanks." Mackenzie said drily.

"So, what do we do now?" Lizzy asked. "We've got two hours to kill before our train gets here."

"How about we go get something to eat?" James rubbed his stomach. "I'm bloody _starving_!"

"What _is_ it with guys and food?" Jessica rolled her eyes. I, however, had to agree with Burns there. Our day had started ridiculously early, and it was already one in the afternoon. My stomach gave an involuntary grumble at the thought of a nice New York style hot dog.

"C'mon, you guys." I smiled as I started towards the stairs. "I know just the place."

* * *

Hawthorne began to explain his predicament to us over lunch we'd picked up at the Grand Central Market, a regular stop for City residents and a favorite of mine. We were currently sitting outside the doors on a few benches we'd found, enjoying our sandwiches, salads, and amazingly delicious, juicy hot dogs.

"Radcliffe and I've never seen eye-to-eye. The kid's always too rash and short-tempered. Never does think things through. This kidnapping thing?" Hawthorne waved around the empty water bottle he was nibbling on. "Completely pointless. He knew that you kids would never lay a hand on Grover."

"Yeah, really." James grumbled through a mouthful of chips - oh, sorry, crisps. "The bloke's off his rocker, whisking off three innocent kids - including my _brother_ - just because of that stunt Lizzy pulled."

"He never respects his elders, either." Hawthorne said bitterly. "You know, I'm a newly-elected Council member. That's right, I am." He nodded, looking at our surprised faces. "But it's not worth a drachma anymore, is it? Oh no, because ol' Radcliffe's gone and taken over everything. Won't listen to us geezers when we try to tell him to think for once."

"If you're not into the whole kidnapping thing," Tatiana frowned, poking at her cheese-free salad (She's lactose), "Why'd you try to kill us back in the Park?"

"Oh, _that?_" Hawthorne shrugged. "Well, Radcliffe had posted me there, obviously. He'd also called in his friend Echidna, I'm sure you remember." He glanced at us drily. "I couldn't exactly jump up to your defense while she was there, now could I? She'd probably set her rabid dog on me." Hawthorne bleated nervously. "Didn't want that."

"By the way," I spoke up, "Did you happen to see another demigod, Kasey Tydall? Shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes?" The question had been bothering me for a while. "She went after the hostages on her own this morning, and we haven't heard from her since."

To my disappointment, the satyr frowned and shook his head. "Haven't heard or seen anything of her."

"Oh." I replied. Where in the world was Fish Face? Maybe we'd be able to find a place later to Iris message her.

"So where in D.C., exactly, does Radcliffe intend on hiding the three hostages they took?" Jessica asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Somewhere where the satyrs would have the upper hand." He snorted. "In the Smithsonian National Zoo, to be precise."

James gave Hawthorne a look. "You can't be serious."

* * *

"I still don't think this is right." Tatiana frowned as she shimmied down the bars of the gate and landed in a pile of mulch.

"C'_mon_, Tati. What's not right about it?" Tori reasoned. "It's not like we actually _wanted _to come here to see the little animals - It's not fair that we have to pay to get in."

"But - really, jumping fences?" Tati looked skeptical.

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Tati, just shut up and let it go."

"That's the last of you, innit?" Hawthorne glanced back at us. "Alright then, c'mon!" He gestured for us to move forward. We trudged after him. We'd landed in some sort of holding pen. It was filled with mulch and grass everywhere and I could see a large mesh cage in the distance - probably where the resident slept at night.

I turned to Jessica. "I wonder what -" My unfinished thought was interrupted by an irritated growl from somewhere in the bushes.

"What was that?" Mackenzie's eyes widened. Her question was instantly answered when a brown grizzly bear stalked into view.

"Wow!" Jessica breathed. "It looks like James when he wakes up in the morning."

Tatiana and I burst out laughing as James shot her a dark look.

"I wonder if we can pet him?" Lizzy wondered aloud.

"_She_'d rather you not." Hawthorne warned. "She says she's had a rather bad day, she's tired and she doesn't want to put up with a bunch of bratty human cubs who can't tell the difference between a guy and a girl. So I think we should make a fast, quiet exit before Brownie here bites our heads off.

We did as told, and found ourselves on a wide, stone pathway, pushed into the tide of day tourists. James craned his neck over the crowd. "Where do you reckon they are?"

"Probably somewhere near the goats." I suggested.

"That does sound likely." Hawthorne agreed.

"Does anyone have a map?" Mackenzie asked.

"I think they have some over there - by that information stand." Tatiana went over to grab a couple.

"Alright - goats - goats . . . .hmm." Tori bent over the copy she'd snatched from Tots. She traced her finger along a line. "Looks like we don't have to walk far."

"Lemme see." James peeked over Tori's shoulder.

"We were just here - Andean Bears." I pointed on her map. "So the area we're in right now is called Amazonia. If we just keep on going this way," I gestured down the road. "past the gallery, we'll reach the Kids' Farm, which is where the goats are."

"Alright." Tori folded up her map. "To the barnyard we go!"

Let me tell you, the Smithsonian Zoo Kids Farm is _not _the most delicious-smelling place in the world. You think someone as smart as me would see it coming (not to toot my horn), what with all the penned-up cows, goats, and alpacas, but _whew, _that place stank to high Olympus.

"Great _Gawds_." Mackenzie groaned, wrapping a cashmere scarf around her face. "It smells like -"

"Shit, yeah, I know, mate." James completed oh-so-tactfully, wrinkling his nose.

Hawthorne looked a bit miffed. "That's quite enough from you two." He scolded. "We're here to save your friends sorry behinds, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it." Jessica said. "They're probably hiding them in their night pens or something - somewhere that's obviously out of public sight."

We skirted around the tourists, looking for something that might help us, when Tatiana exclaimed, "Hey, look!" She was pointing to a roped off gate, whose sign read, "PRIVATE PERSONNEL ONLY".

I shrugged. "Sounds promising."

We unlatched the gate and slipped in, finding ourselves in an area filled with hay. There was a small supplies building on the left. Lizzy and James went in to check - there was no one there. The rest of us spanned out to look around the holding stables, the cleaning areas, and the feeding areas, our weapons held at ready.

After we'd checked every stall, crate, closet, bag, cage, and bathroom, we realized we had a problem. There was no one in sight.

"I don't understand." I glanced around the place just to double check they weren't hiding in the trees or something.

"Me neither." Lizzy crossed her arms. "Where else would they be able to hide three teenage demigods?"

"No idea." Jessica bit her lip, gazing off in the distance. Suddenly, her facial expression changed.

"Guys, maybe . . ."

"What?" Mackenzie asked.

I followed Jessica's gaze, and my eyes landed on the big, red, Kids' Farm Barn. "You don't think . . ."

"I dunno. . . ." she shrugged. "It's big. It's enclosed."

"It's worth a shot." Hawthorne said, brushing past us as he headed for the direction of the barn.

The barn was filled with little kids, tired-looking parents, white-clad zookeepers, and of course, several smelly members of the Bovidae family. But as for tied-up and gagged demigods? Nope.

I felt someone nudge me in the ribs. Jessica subtly nodded upwards, towards the hayloft. I couldn't see much from down here, but there was definitely enough room up there to hide three kids.

"Guys." Jessica hissed, addressing the other six. "Up."

Lizzy nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

"One of you should go up there to check it out." Hawthorne advised.

"I'll go." Tori immediately volunteered.

"Our little stuntswoman." Tatiana smiled, patting her on the back.

"What is Hermes even for?" Tori winked as we neared the ladder that lead up to the loft.

"Hey!" An angry voice shouted as Tori stepped on the first rung. Another zookeeper had appeared out of nowhere. "Miss, I'm afraid you cannot be allowed up there."

"Oh, but we're here on a private tour from the Smithsonian Institute." Tori smiled politely, pulling out a folded sheet of paper that none of us had ever seen before. A large gold seal was imprinted on the bottom.

The keeper didn't even take a look at the letter when he shoved it back at her. "I'm sorry, the hayloft is under renovation today." He said coldly. "I was told not to allow anyone up."

"Renovation?" I glanced up. "I don't see any sign of workers or tools up there."

"We're _preparing_ for renovation." The keeper glared at me with his unfriendly green eyes. "I am telling you, _no one _is allowed up in the hayloft. No exceptions. I'm sorry." He didn't look sorry at all.

"Perhaps we could speak to your manager?" Hawthorne suggested. The zookeeper registered him for the first time, and a shocked look passed his face. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, but I'd seen it for sure. That was when I noticed his curly hair and goatee. I wondered what he was hiding beneath his white cap.

"I don't think that can be arranged." The 'zookeeper' said tightly. "Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave."

James gave a low chuckle. "I'm afraid that's not how we work, mate." He said, clapping the disguised zookeeper on the back just as Tori shot up into the air like a bullet, her shoes flapping like crazy. There were a few screams from the tourists, and I wondered what they saw.

"_Hey_!" The zookeeper/satyr yelled in fury when he registered what had happened. "Come back down -"

"Guys!" Tori shouted down excitedly from where she was floating in the air. "They're up here!"

"BACKUP!" The impostor zookeeper shouted urgently. "BACKUP!"

Without warning, about twenty other satyrs flooded in the barn doors, their bows arched and their reed pipes at their mouths. The poor tourists grabbed their kids and ran out screaming.

I glanced at the circle of hostile satyrs that had formed around us. Radcliffe was one of them, clutching onto his white horn and a spiked club.

James gave a low whistle. Looks like we were in for another scuffle.

Radcliffe brought his horn up to his lips and blew. A shower of arrows shot up towards Tori, who quickly ducked into the recesses of the hayloft.

"Star!" Lizzy commanded, referring to a formation we'd practiced in camp. Those of us on the ground immediately turned our backs and formed a seven-point star, our weapons prepared ready.

It was a red-headed, stake-wielding satyr that got to me first. I split his weapon in half with one swipe of my sword, right before deflecting an arrow that was about to hit my eye. The others were similarly engaged with their own opponents.

"Agh!" I clenched my teeth as a spiked club grazed my side, tearing a hole in my shirt. I retaliated with an infuriated swipe at my attacker, disarming him.

"Look guys!" Jessica yelled over the cacophony as she strung her bow. "We don't want any trouble! We just want our friends back!"

"And we just want our cursed equal rights!" Radcliffe roared.

There was a series of shudders and _cracks_ as Jessica let out a stream of bolts, scorching several holes into the wall. The satyrs responded with an open fire of arrows.

James snapped his fingers, and a circle of blue flames sprung up around us, creating a tall barrier against our attackers. The heat was searing - I felt like I was suffocating.

"Burns!"I coughed, not noticing the irony. "Cut it out!"

The dancing flames slowly cooled to a black, exerting virtually no heat at all. It was still pretty capable of burning things up, though, as a poor naïve satyr discovered when the quiverful of arrows he had launched shriveled up into a pile of ash.

"Woah." Jessica raised her eyebrows. "Not bad for a dimwit like yourself, Grim Creeper."

James shot her a crooked smirk. "I'll take that as a compliment, love."

The circle of fire slowly expanded outwards, scattering the remaining satyrs out the door. The last one to leave was - who else - Radcliffe, who shot us a deathly look that practically screamed, _This isn't over!_ before he disappeared.

"Whew." James said as the fire relinquished, bending over and panting heavily as if he'd had just run a marathon.

"You okay there, Death Head?" Tatiana asked.

"Yeh, yeh." He breathed, his hands on his knees. "I'm just dandy, thanks. Just never handled that much of my power before. I think I need more practice, yeah?"

"Hey guys?" Tori appeared out of the dark recesses of the hayloft. "Care to give me a hand up here?"

Without another word, the six of us scrambled up the ladder. Hawthorne stayed on the ground .

"Wow. I almost feel sorry for you guys." Lizzy said sympathetically as the three bound-and-gagged figures appeared in our vision, slumped against the wall. We made our way over, padding across the soft layer of hay. We quickly had them untied and their mouths freed.

"I knew you'd come for me, bro!" Nico yelped with joy as he jumped up and clapped James on the back. He was still in his black skull-covered boxers and (thankfully) a white t-shirt.

"Agh." Alex cracked his neck both ways. "That was probably the most uncomfortable six hours I've ever experienced in my life."

"Tell me about it." Pollux agreed, slowly standing up. They all seemed tired and cranky, but relatively unharmed.

My heart dropped as I looked around for a fourth hostage. "Kasey's not here." I said in a voice so low, it was almost a whisper. But Alex heard me.

"What?" He asked, puzzled.

Lizzy cut to the chase. "Kasey ran off after you guys like the rational person she is without any plans or directions, and we have no idea where the hell she is now."

"Oh, the gods." Alex groaned.

"Maybe she gave up and already went back?" Tori voice hopefully.

"Whatever." I shrugged. "We'll Iris-message her later. First, we've got to haul these three losers back to camp."

* * *

The eleven of us poured into the Red Line metro bound for Union Station. Passengers shot us unappreciative glances, probably due to the fact that we all smelled like goats, one of us was carrying a huge bow and arrow on her back, and three of us were in sleepwear, but hey, not our fault here. With a lurch, the train started on its way speeding down the dark tunnel track.

The first two minutes passed uneventfully. We all ended up having to stand, since it was the rush hour back home and the place was packed with boring-looking men and women in suits.

I first noticed something was wrong when I smelled the smoke.

Tatiana clutched my arm. "Jackie. What in the world is _that_?" I looked to where she was pointing. At first, I had no idea what she was looking at, but shuddered when I noticed a small critter clinging to a the dark corner of the subway ceiling. At first, I thought it was some sort of Komodo dragon. But how in Tartarus had a _Komodo dragon_ gotten into the Washington Metro? I certainly hoped it wasn't some sort of zoo runaway.

Then I blinked. Last time I checked, Komodo dragons from the National Zoo did snort breath fire.

The reptilian vermin leapt onto the floor, and the passengers in the car screamed and backed away from the lizard-like animal. It gave another small snort of fire, leaving a trail of smoke coming out of its nostril.

The creature approached us and let out a loud _hiss_. Creepy.

"_Hiss_ yourself, bitch." Lizzy said, giving the lizard a swift kick. "Get lost." The Komodo dragon was sent flying, arousing high-pitched shrieks from somewhere down the car. I didn't think that was quite the wisest decision in the world, but, luckily, it was enough to persuade most of the passengers to disperse into the other cars.

The reptile rolled over and stood on its back haunches, letting out a blow-torch style flame from its mouth. Hadn't we had our fair share of fire-breathing creatures today?

"Woah! I didn't mean it!" Lizzy squeaked.

The Komodo dragon's eyes glowed a bright, ruby red, and it began to grow and change shape, just like the Chimera at Central Park. By the time its head hit the ceiling, it was no Komodo dragon anymore. It was just - a dragon. Like a scaly, fanged, Maleficent-style dragon.

"Styx - we'd better get out of here!" Jessica yelled over the subway intercom that was announcing our arrival to Metro Center Station.

As soon as the doors slid open, Jessica, James, Lizzy, Tatiana, Mackenzie, Tori, Hawthorne, Alex, Pollux, Nico, and I all rushed out. The people on the platform were thrown into chaos. I had no idea what they were seeing, but it probably wasn't pretty.

Just as we were tearing out way past the ticket booths and turnstiles, we (literally) ran into a very familiar face.

"KASEY TYDALL!" I yelled, furious as I finally realized who I'd knocked over. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Guys!" She looked just as surprised as I was, but quickly recovered from her shock. "Anyways, no time for dawdling," Kasey said hurriedly, "I just figured out where they're hiding the -"

"Problem solved, Fish Face." Alex drawled, peeking out from behind James.

Both relief and confusion flooded Kasey's face. "Okay - what -?" Then her eyes nearly bulged when she saw the dragon.

"Okay, _not_ exactly the time for explanations right now." Lizzy grabbed Kasey's wrist. "Come along, Aquamarine."

Ignoring the angry shouts and calls behind us, we darted for the escalators. I nearly ran over a young mother and her baby carriage.

We squeezed past everyone on the escalators, not daring to look behind us. I sighed with relief when we finally reached the open landing, but my relief was short-lived. The sound of flapping wings greeted us from behind, and I whipped around to see the dragon had grown to its full, mammoth-sized form.

"This way!" Lizzy screamed, pointing to the right exit of the station. We burst out into the dusky twilight, our sneakers (or slippers, one some cases) slapping against the pavement. Heads turned as we barreled past the pedestrians.

The dragon, who I now dub 'Maleficent', let out another stream of fire from his/her nostril. The air rippled from the heat.

"Ye_owww!_" Mackenzie shrieked as her shirt caught.

Lizzy directed us down a small alley, trying to deter the dragon that was hot on our heels. While we were running, Nico grabbed my water bottle from my backpack and managed to douse Mackenzie's sleeve.

An angry wheezing came from not ten meters behind. Maleficent had shrunk its size down to move better in the narrow street. It spread its wings and flapped so it stayed just above the rooftops, casting a massive shadow over our heads.

"Keep on moving people!" Lizzy urged. We took another turn onto New York Avenue NW, and continued to run for all we were worth, passing a church, a few office buildings, and a Starbucks.

We'd been running for three straight blocks now and I was starting to develop a stitch.

_Keep going!_ I urged my feet, even though I had no idea where our destination was. My guess was that Lizzy was going to wait until we got to a more open space so we could take out the dragon once and for all.

"Sto - stop!" I gasped, bending over and clutching my stomach as we came to another intersection. "I've - I've got to rest for a moment."

A heated blast at the heels of my Keds were enough to send me running again. We shot across the intersection, hot dragon breath breathing down our necks.

Suddenly, a man driving an abnormally large golf cart sped into view. Without hesitation, Nico jumped in front of the cart, and the driver skidded to a halt, getting out and screaming some rather rude words. While he was yelling his head off at Nico, Lizzy immediately jumped behind the wheel and we clambered on. By the time the driver realized what was happening, it was too late. She made a quick fishtail around, and after Nico had hopped on in the back, sped off down the street to the berating of the cart owner.

"Well," I said breathlessly. "Thought I'd die before I saw the day you two would cooperate."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Greek Geek." Nico smirked. Before I could hurt him in some physical way for such a ridiculous nickname, a loud _thud_ came from above. It took me a moment to register that the dragon had landed on top of our cart.

"Ack!" I shrieked as I unsheathed _Exi Phi _and made a slice at the dragon's hanging tail. Unfortunately, I only managed to graze a few scales.

"Keep on driving, Hothead!" Kasey shouted.

"I know, I am!" Lizzy made a frantic turn when she realized she'd been driving on the wrong lane.

We suddenly realized that the road in front of us was blocked off - pedestrians only - so Lizzy ran a red light making a last-minute right turn onto 15th, arousing a chorus of loud honks, angry yells, and explicit sign language. Clearly, they couldn't see the dragon sitting right above our heads.

There was a large creak, followed by a splintering sound, when a large talon pierced through the roof.

"_Styx!_" Nico raised his palm and shot a spurt of fire at the claw. What. An. _Idiot_. Clearly, he'd never learned the term, "fight fire with fire". But he learned it soon enough when a Nico-head-sized hole burned into the ceiling.

There was another intersection overhead. I started to panic. Was there just going to be intersection after intersection? Street after street? Building after building? When were we going to be able to get rid of this cursed dragon?

Lizzy took a left onto H street while the rest of us were cowering from the dragon. Yeah, so heroic of us, wasn't it? James flipped open his scythe and managed to make a few cuts. Maleficent roared in anger and stomped her feet, creating deep indents on the roof.

Jessica notched an arrow and shot it upwards into the burnt hole. The bolt merely scraped the dragon's snout, but it was enough to create a nasty shock. Maleficent, momentarily dazed, rolled off the cart, nearly crushing two sedans.

Lizzy took this opportunity to charge full speed ahead, weaving through the traffic and scattering screaming pedestrians as we jumped the sidewalk. We didn't even bother questioning if she actually knew how to drive this thing. Clearly, she had experience.

We took another left turn, and my whole mind-map was thrown into disorder. I completely gave up on where we were now. All that mattered is that we could see green. Trees. That meant space. Space meant finally being able to resolve our little cat-and-mouse chase.

"It's coming again!" Tori warned, pointing to the sky. Maleficent was now high above us, stretching out her (it _was _a her) full wingspan - a frightening length of about twenty feet. Each. I wondered what the mortal citizens of Washington D.C. saw.

We were now driving on grass. Lizzy had hopped another curb and driven us straight into the park-like area of green. A few moments later we were speeding down a walking trail with our lovely _draconae _friend on trail once more. The trees and shrubbery were flying past so fast they blended into one big green blur. I had no idea where we were or where we were headed.

Suddenly, a jarring impact hit the side of the cart, sending us into a spin and tipping the vehicle over sideways. There were many uncomfortable_oomphs_ and a few oaths as we all tumbled on top of each other.

Jessica and Tatiana were the first ones that untangled themselves from the mess. I quickly scrambled out after them.

"Eeep!" I shrieked as a great ball of fire hit the tree I'd just been standing next to, sending it up into flames.

Maleficent swooped lower as the rest of us all slowly abandoned ship (or golf cart, in our case). Her leathery wings sent gusts of hot wind out way.

"Scatter!" Lizzy commanded. "It'll make it harder for her to catch us!"

I couldn't argue with this, so we all went off in our separate directions. I darted forward through the trees, sword unsheathed, slipping between the foliage. I was careful to avoid the other trails. Open space meant an easily-spotted target for Maleficent.

Speaking of . . .I watched the skies carefully, looking for the large, dark, shadow. Nothing to be seen. It should've been good news, right?

Yeah, right.

My heart sank when I heard a high-pitched scream coming from somewhere to my right, followed by a nasty _crash_. I instinctively followed the voice, picking up my pace as I neared the source of the sound. The smell of smoke filled my nose. My head was so full of worries and fears, I forgot to watch where I was going and nearly let out a scream myself when I rammed into someone. Thankfully, it was only Tatiana, but she looked _awful_. She was covered in soot, head to toe.

"What's going -"

She grabbed my arm. "Jackie, you're never going to believe what's happened."

"What?" I asked, panic-mode turning on at her tone of voice.

She dragged me forward, past a fallen iron-wrought fence. As I neared, I could see the blazing tendrils of fire through the trees. When Tatiana finally pulled me into full view, it took me a few seconds to register what I was seeing, since half of the backyard was engulfed in flames. But when I did, my internal map finally clicked into place.

Someone's house had caught on fire. And it wasn't just any old house.

What better way to announce our arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue than arson?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey! So it's been a while . . .what've I been up to? Oh, you know, I just retired, grew a few gray hairs, developed Alzheimers . . .  
So I supposed I ought to apologize for the ridiculously long break I've been taking. I really have no excuses, so forgive me for being lazy.

In compensation, this chapter is probably one of the longest and most action-packed ones, so be grateful, children.

This chapter is probably riddled with mistakes and is very rough, but I was in a rush because _some people_ don't have a life and spend it nagging a certain _someone _to update. (cough *Lizzy* cough cough)

DISCLAIMER: The ending of this chapter has no affiliation whatever with my (lack of) political views, so please don't feel offended (or inspired) by anything that I've written. I simply needed a good excuse to get the FBI, CIA, and the Secret Service all on our tail.  
Oh, and don't tell me it's not realistic, because if Percy Jackson can blowtorch the Gateway Arch, we can set fire to the White House.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:  
-Washington Metro Area Transit Authority. Yes, I did do my subway map research. Red Line goes from the Zoo to Union Station. Metro Center station happens to be conveniently lying in the middle, and it is just a few blocks from Penn. Ave.  
-Google Maps. Need I say more?  
-Smithsonian National Zoological Park Map and Information Center.  
-The poor man on the golf cart. IOU.  
-The US Executive Branch. Big sorry there.

DEDICATIONS:  
1. To anyone and everyone at DISS who went on the field trip to D.C. which Lizzy, James, Tori, and I were unfortunately not a part of.  
2. To anyone and everyone who wasted precious time out of their life to read this story. This includes:

_Viggs  
The Helper_  
_brunettelily  
Reading Obsession_  
_SeaweedGirl1_  
_Zoe Nightshade_  
_umat6_  
_superpear8_  
_xXxShiniXKazexXx  
Child of Athena_  
_Kristen :)_  
_Greke Geke (who I name-plagiarized)_  
_ThaliaGrace17_  
_Mar-mar S._  
_AllieLeigh14 _  
_Dad :)  
__Love is the key to the world  
__Jake the Drake  
__volleyballbabe51  
__ameliarnunn  
__XXCerberusIsMyBestFriendXX  
__SoaringPassion  
__redhead1997_

And then, to the demigods, an imaginary toast.  
Jessica - for having killer aim.  
James - for being British and capable of snapping his fingers  
Lizzy - for charging us forward like fearless General Washington  
Kasey - FOR NOT THINKING BEFORE ACTING.  
Tatiana - for being the one to always notice things first  
Mackenzie - for your shurikans and coming back from the dead  
Tori - for forgery and saving my life after Jessica saved yours  
Delaney - for being so supportive even though I've only written you in once.  
Shelly - for being so supportive even though I haven't made you into an earthquake :(  
Anne - for being awesome and reading this and for always winning everything

And to Pollux, because his dad scored us this virtual champagne.


End file.
